If the urge to clear the decks and start something new is upon you, then you are probably looking round your home and thinking ‘just where do I start?’ New projects need space to develop, both physical and mental. If your mind is clogged and confused you are going to find it hard to come up with new ideas, and if you can’t put a book down without something toppling over it is time to take it in hand.
My experience with coaching clients on change is that saying you want change while surrounding yourself with all the baggage of your past is not just contradictory, but wilful. A Feng Shui expert once told me that if you are hoarding things from your past that no longer fit with your life then there is no room for the new to come in. For instance, if you want a new relationship but still have all the photos and mementos of your last one on the walls and in the drawers then you are blocking the energy and ‘crowding out’ anything new.
If you are serious about wanting to make room in your life then start here:
1 Get ready by putting time aside in your diary to start the decluttering process. Mark it in big letters, with a gold star or a red pen, but make time for it. Remember: small steps get you further so block out just 30 minutes to start with, but stick to it, and don’t try and clear a whole room in one go. Choose a corner, or a particular drawer or shelf to start with.
2 Organise it to be fun and bring in 3 or so ‘decision’ bin liners or boxes. Wherever you have chosen to start, first get your favourite music in there –no reason why you can’t clutter clear and boogie at the same time!
3 Take your time and allow yourself to just absorb what you are going to do by looking at the area and choosing to think ‘great, this is going to give me some wonderful space’ and if you think that, then it will. .
4 The classic question is keep it or kick it out, and have a bag for each of those categories – the third bag is for the ‘not sure yet’ items and you need to go through that one in a week’s time. Again, don’t think ‘look what I am giving up’ but instead celebrate how much someone else when browsing in the charity shop is going to benefit from your letting that item go.
5 Keep going until your 30 minutes is up, and longer if you feel ok about it.
The trick is little and often and you will soon have created both physical and mental space to kick start you into the change that’s needed for autumn. If you are having problems letting go, then contact me for a one-off catalyst coaching session to help move you forward.
