Declutter Your Space and Your Mind

Organize your space and you will adapt to change more easily.

As I write this, my daughter is working on a school project and it occupies half of the dining room table. While I can tolerate the mess until she completes it tonight, it will likely drive me crazy today as I am working from home at the same table. Clutter is distracting and it also reminds us of other things we need to do. My daughter’s project reminds me that I have to help her with it, clean up after (because, let’s face it, she won’t manage to get all that glue off the table, that will be up to me), it also reminds me that we will have to eat dinner around it and oh yeah, what is for dinner?

When things around us are organized then our minds are free to focus on whatever project is at hand, making us much more productive and less stressed. It has been shown by Harvard researchers that focusing on one task at a time produces better quality work than those who multitask.

My Top Five Tips for Keeping Clutter at Bay

1. Deal with mail and other paperwork in the moment. Be honest with yourself. Do you really need to hold onto that pizza flyer? If you’re making a serious attempt at being low carb than the answer should be no, but if you think the family may want it, then have a basket where you can collect all the fast food flyers for the month and toss them when they expire. Got a bill? Pay it! It is so easy to pay bills online now, there really is no excuse for finding time. I have a spot in my desk where I keep my bill payment calendar and bills and I sit and pay them all at once. Get a field trip form from your child? Fill it in right now and give it back to them to put in their backpack. By staying on top of these things, you won’t end up with an overwhelming stack of papers or overdue payments.
2. Take pride in your Space. When your home/office/workspace/bedroom is organized, clean, and nicely decorated, you will enjoy being in that space and you will be motivated to keep it that way. Whenever I give my daughter’s room a thorough cleaning and help her organize it and maybe even move the furniture around, she just loves it. She will spend the entire day in her ‘new’ space. I also know of a lady whose friends stepped in and helped her to renovate her dilapidated kitchen. At the time, she was overwhelmed with the amount of work she needed to do but once her friends had made her kitchen a place she loved, it magically transferred to the rest of her space, motivating her to paint other rooms and plant some flowers in her front garden. But it didn’t stop there, fast forward a year and that lady has started walking, joined a new club and lost a bunch of weight!
3. Ask for Help! As you can see from above, friends and family can be pivotal in helping us overcome obstacles. It can be hard to ask for help. Many of us have preconceived notions that we can do it all. If you’ve let things get out of control there is no shame in asking for help, remember, we can always return the favour. Recently I was sick with an awful cold, which rarely happens to me and I needed to ask colleagues to take over meetings for me, my children to do more housework and let the family make sandwiches for dinner so I didn’t have to cook. Life will wait for you, trust me!
4. Write Things Down. Writing lists and using a notebook and agenda keeps me organized and puts my mind at ease, knowing that I won’t forget things. For work, I carry an agenda everywhere that contains my daily schedule and tasks I must accomplish. At home I have a grocery list clipped to the refrigerator where the family can add things that we run out of. I also have a journal that I keep beside my bed at night and on my desk during the day where I can write ideas and inspiration for my writing. And finally, in the car, I keep a pen and sticky notes to jot down anything else that pops into my mind. Sticky notes are great, because you can put them into your agenda or notebook afterwards.
5. Make your Health a Priority. Since I’ve started eating clean, I’ve also started exercising and cleaning more. The energy I have from a ketogenic diet, is just amazing. I have lost weight, gained muscle and feel way more vibrant than I did years ago when I was eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) which included grains and processed foods. Wherever you are, start there. One small change at a time can make a huge difference in your health and how you feel. Once you start feeling better, you can do more. If you need help in your journey, please read my other blog posts or check out one of my ebooks. All the best.