Clutter isn’t just stuff; it can be anything that isn’t reflecting your true self that no longer serves you. It can be a toxic relationship and obligations that drain you more than they lift you up. It can be habits and routines that don’t feel good anymore.
The Problem
I’ve been working with a client for a few weeks, decluttering her home. In the beginning, we talked about how clutter is really just deferred decisions. You can’t decide what to do – keep it, toss it, donate it. Or you can’t decide where to put it. The cupboard is too full; it doesn’t have an obvious home. So you put it down on a flat surface, or leave it in a box on the floor, add it to the junk drawer, and defer the decision.
It can be the same with other non-tangible stuff. You don’t know how to say no. You don’t know how to stop doing the thing that isn’t serving you. You keep saying yes, maybe and push it away.
Building the Decision-Making Muscle
My client said that working with me, and being confronted with decisions she’d put off about the stuff cluttering her room, made her realize it was time to quit the board she’d been volunteering on for so long. It was draining her, no longer productive or rewarding. She was doing it out of obligation and guilt. But as she started to make decisions about the clutter, she became better at making other decisions. She was developing the muscle, and could now make decisions in other areas of her life that she’d been deferring for some time.
Reclaim Your Time
Decluttering your life, your schedule, and your routine is as important as decluttering your home. It’s that same decision-making muscle that will allow you to reclaim your time and your energy. Say goodbye to anything that you don’t use, love or need, whether it’s a scratchy sweater, a pair of too-small jeans, or a relationship that no longer fits, or makes you itch.