Declutter your life

Do you find yourselves overwhelmed by the hoard of things you have piled in your house? We keep many things which are of little use but still occupy a major space in our house just because of the sentimental value attached to these things. The clutter has not just occupied our homes, but we have cluttered our workplaces, our actions , our thoughts and our life with so much of junk. Yes, Junk which is of little use or no use at all.

What exactly is clutter? Clutter is a confused or disorderly state or collection that reduce effectiveness. Karen Kingston explains clutter as, ”Clutter is stuck energy. The word “clutter” derives from the Middle English word “clotter,” which means to coagulate – and that’s about as stuck as you can get.”

The more we have, the more we are occupied. The less we have, the more free we are. Let’s reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life. Decluttering seems like an intimidating process to many. So my advice is to take baby steps towards decluttering your life. Remember, small daily steps lead to big achievements overtime. Here I have listed five simple steps to declutter your life :

  1. Declutter your home Do you waste precious time frantically searching for important documents, lost keys or misplaced things? Do you wonder where to keep the new clothes you just bought during sale in the already overflowing closet? Do you feel that you need a bigger place to live because your things don’t seem to fit in? Do you keep hoarding stuff that you don’t use at all?Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’ for most of us.  Keeping our home tidy and organized may seem like a lot of work but actually it’s one of the best ways to realize peace of mind and a calmer outlook. A little time devoted everyday towards organizing the house will work wonders! Don’t tackle the whole house at once. Start small. Focus on clearing one area, shelf or drawer before moving on to the next. Most of the times, the clutter consists of things which are of little use but great emotional significance or things which we think would be useful sometime in future. It’s very difficult to let go of things on which you have spent your hard-earned money. But remember, if you do not use it or need it, it’s clutter, and it needs to go. In a nutshell, use it up, wear it out, make it do – or do without! William Morris has stated it beautifully: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
  2. Declutter your workplace Look around your workstation and you will most likely see items ,files and papers that can be cleared away. It doesn’t help your image if someone walks in your cabin and sees clutter piled up at your desk. It’s easy to let stuff pile up and get out of hand. Workplace clutter is quite irritating because it not only interferes with your work but also causes unwanted & unnecessary stress. Once a week, sort through your drawers, shelves and briefcase. Discard whatever is outdated and irrelevant. Store the documents with appropriate labels so that you can easily find them when needed. Albert Einstein has rightly stated, “Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
  3. Declutter your speech Anger makes us speak things which we regret later. Precious time is wasted in unnecessary gossip. We derive pleasure in criticizing others or hurl abuses when angry. This only adds to mental stress and negativity. Identify such tendencies of mind and let go of them.
  4. Declutter your actions We complicate our lives with unnecessary tasks & commitments. List and prioritize your tasks. Prioritize what is urgent and needs to be tackled immediately. Learn to say ‘No’ to unnecessary commitments.
  5. Declutter your mind Eliminate physical clutter but more importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter. Harbouring negative emotions of anger and frustration is unhealthy and add to the mental stress. Spend time in silent contemplation or meditation and observe your thoughts. Let go of the regrets of the past & worries of the future and move on. Meditate daily for a calm and peaceful mind. It’s the simplest and the most profound method for a blissful you!

Jackie French Koller says, “There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” This holds true both in materialistic and spiritual aspects. Eliminate and cut back on whatever doesn’t add meaning to your life. A simple way of doing so is to ‘Observe, filter and surrender’.

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13 comments

  1. I’ve been doing lots of cleaning and sorting since I retired from the Museum in August. Not only the regular housecleaning of dusting, sweeping, vacuuming and mopping. Washing dishes every day plus doing laundry but also trying to better organize my bedroom and my belongings. I had way too many good clothes that I can no longer wearing because they don’t fit but in good condition that others can use. So I went into my closet and gave half the clothes to AABR Thrift Shop which employs People with developmental disabilities and the other half to my church which gives away Free clothing on Wednesdays and Fridays.

    One can help oneself by helping others who are less fortunate.

    Little by little I’m getting rid of the clutter so that I’m not a candidate for that TV Show, Hoarders! ????

    1. Our clutter may add value to the life of someone who is less fortunate. It’s always better to donate the things that we don’t use anymore.

  2. Agreed with you! There is so much stress relief, clarity and ease in life once we take the time to clean up and declutter. Doing it in the outer physical world affects how we feel in our inner world.

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