6 Familiar but Forgotten Areas of Your Life You Can Declutter Today

Clutter isn’t just the stuff on your floor. It’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living. — Peter Walsh

Boom baby.

Overdoing, holding onto the old stuff, and continually adding things to your life will stack the deck against you ever having peace of mind.

How could it not?

Living in a cluttered state means you’re likely setting yourself up for a stressed-out purge day in the future, but also a lot of anxiety in the meantime.

If your life had to be represented by a single drawer, would it look like an awful, unorganized junk drawer filled with a hodgepodge of useless things?

If it does, it’s time to declutter.

Decluttering your life with purpose is a solid way to take control of how you feel every day.

This doesn’t mean living in lack, but rather paying attention to your attachments and choices. Look at all of the things that you hang onto simply out of habit.

Not everything was meant to be a part of your life forever. Things have their seasons, and so does your life.

It’s easy to look around your home to see clutter, but it’s not the only area of your life that can become a bit much at times.

It’s time for a wake-up call.

Your home could be in a rut

Your home is where you are when you’re not somewhere else.

Profound. I know.

The point is, home is like your charging station. Much like you take great care in charging your phone and laptop every night, your home should do that for you.

Does it welcome you? Does it feel safe and warm?

If you find yourself always trying to “get away”, it may not be giving you what you need. It’s easy to declutter and create a clean and rejuvenating space, just keep these easily forgotten tips in mind.

• Your home should represent where you are in your life and how you live now. Remove things you’ve had around forever, including your kid’s kindergarten finger-painted rooster, and store them. Replace with a recent photo or memento from a recent trip. Having piles of things lying around can wreak havoc on any chance of relaxation, so find a suitable home for the piles, and get rid of, recycle, or donate the rest.

You can maintain the memory without keeping all the physical reminders at your fingertips.

• Surround yourself with the best things you can afford and don’t save the “good stuff” for others. Use your good glassware, get better silverware, and invest in furniture that makes you feel like a million bucks.
• Limit the excess. As you acquire things in life it’s easy to just keep adding to the “pile”. Is it time for some new towels? Ditch or donate 6 of the old, and get 6 new.
• Live into your home and don’t worry about everything looking just perfect every second. It should feel clean but lived in, so try to resist being the clutter police.

Clean is good, perfect isn’t necessary.

The ’80s called

Sure, things go in and out of style, but you don’t need to hang onto everything indefinitely in the hopes they will.

Whether it’s your clothing, hair, or shoes, it’s a good practice to look at your style a couple of times a year and do a little light housekeeping.

As time goes by, it’s a good practice to commit to having better quality, timeless, versatile staples in your wardrobe with a few zany keepers for interest and to show off your personality.

When you declutter your wardrobe, saying yes to social things is easier too because you’ve created an easily accessible coordinated closet, and you don’t have to wade through dozens of items that even your hangers are questioning your judgment on.

Start slow and really assess how something makes you feel. Only keep things that feel great, not because you overpaid for them.

You are what you eat and drink

Look around at what you’re putting in your body, and see if there are ways you can simplify there.

Preservatives, processed foods, and alcohol create extra work for your body to process.

Foods that are tasty and easy to grab can make things easier, but too much of that doesn’t do a body good. Try to challenge yourself to one or two fruits or veggies that you really love and make sure you add them to your diet consistently.

Think about trying to eliminate or drastically reduce things that are overly processed, and pay attention to how “whole” the foods you’re eating really are.

You don’t have to give up alcohol forever if you’re a fan, but it’s nice to have an occasional respite to give your body a good internal rinse. You can easily get used to always having the same thing too, and a break might inspire you to try a new type of wine or spirit on the other side.

It doesn’t have to be forever, but the occasional cleanse and declutter of what you’re putting in your body can feel great.

Netflix can’t be your hobby

When decluttering your habits, look at how you spend your free time. Is it the same old routine, cozying up to Netflix every night after dinner? Is it the same old shows or depressing news channels?

Being in the habit of the same old stuff could not only stifle your growth and creativity, but it’s cluttering your mind with a bunch of drama or realities that are questionable at best.

News and content are often distributed by for-profit corporations and their ratings govern what they share with you. That isn’t the best way for your information to be filtered.

Find your own ways to stay informed and don’t become dependent on one source.

Declutter your mind by reading, changing up what you’re watching, or adding in the theater or movies for a change of pace, and of course, get outside if you can.

Vagueness about your time = a cluttered mind

Look at your day and think about how you have it scheduled. Do you have a true calendar or just a to-do list?

When you have a list of things to tackle, it’s all very vague and can feel as if you “have so much to do”, cluttering your mind and impacting your readiness to take on the day.

Instead, enter items on a true calendar, even your self-care and wellness activities to ensure they actually happen.

When your plans have a start and end time, you’ll be able to add or subtract things because you have an organized visual to frame them.

A random list always feels more complicated than it actually is.

Block out time and clear your mind.

Your wallet (not literally)

Wondering about your financial health today or in your retirement years can really clutter up your thinking and impact everything you do from buying dinner for a friend to starting a business.

Get clear on a few things and don’t be afraid to know the hard truth. The reality is that when you know the situation, you can move into solution mode, or simply start to handle the reality and act accordingly.

How many credit cards do you have and what’s their total balance?

How many bank accounts do you have? Can you cut back and organize them according to your goals?

Do you know your monthly income and expense budget?

Are you able to save any money each month?

Knowing your financial picture can organize what you need to get to your goals. Not knowing, on the other hand, keeps you blissfully in the dark, but also a little tentative as you wait for the next shoe to drop.

There are many tools available that outline your financial snapshot and help you get clear on where you stand and how to improve your position, as well as offer savvy ways to save and plan for retirement.

Knowing where you stand, whether it’s better or worse than you thought, is always better than not knowing and living in a fantasy world.

Life can be complicated without deliberate decluttering, and as the years go by, things will continue to pile on.

Taking occasional stock of your home, personal style and health, time, and finances, and simplifying in those areas can not only make your day-to-day less overwhelming but also clear valuable space for your short-term and long-term goals.

Take it slow if you’re someone that struggles with change.

Start with your junk drawer and see how you feel after that.

You just might have an awakening.

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Previously Published on medium

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