Your Clutter Is Keeping You Stuck
Do you dread paying bills and balancing your checkbook? Does the site of your closet irk you? Do you have unfinished business with a former employer, ex-spouse or relative? If so, you probably have clutter in your life. All clutter is emotional, although there may be physical evidence of it. Clutter is indecision. Clutter is fear. It’s unfinished business. It’s not just too much stuff in your physical environment. Clutter rents space in your head-for free. Clutter keeps you from doing what’s really important to you. Clutter keeps you stuck. Here’s how to tackle the mess that is keeping you in neutral.
1. Financial clutter. Whether you have enough money or too little money, your clutter is keeping you from having more. It’s hard to make an effort to learn about stocks and bonds when you’re too overwhelmed to balance your checkbook. How do you clear financial clutter? You decide to face it. Acknowledge that it is a privilege and not a burden to have money to manage. Start by setting aside at least an hour a week to address the problem. Shred old receipts and statements. Close bank accounts that you don’t use. Decide how you will use credit cards and be deliberate in your approach. For instance, if you no longer shop at a certain store, cancel their credit card. If a friend or relative owes you money and has no intention of paying you back, deal with it. You have three options, attempt to negotiate a settlement with the person, pursue legal remedies or release the person from the debt. Once you discard your financial clutter, you are free to use your mental energy to think of ways to earn more money and to use the money you have wisely.
2. Physical clutter. Do you spend several minutes every day looking for stuff? Are your drawers crammed full? Physical clutter is an evidence of indecision and fear. You can’t decide between two pairs of shoes, so you buy both. You bought 12 books last year and never decided to read one. You’re afraid to give away the purse that you hate because it might come in handy one day. You can hire a professional organizer to help you to declutter, and there are dozens of books on the topic. About a year ago, I heard about a New York Times bestseller called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I couldn’t believe that millions of people were buying a book that taught them how to clean up? I read an excerpt from the book and was so inspired that I gathered three boxes of things that I didn’t want and donated them to Goodwill. I finally listened to the audio book and bought the companion illustrated guide, Spark Joy. Now, I am working through the program. I love the process, and I’m rediscovering my home. As the author of these books says, tidying up (decluttering) forces you to confront yourself. You are confronting the indecision that caused the clutter and the fear that maintains the clutter. Donating things that you don’t need is generous. As you clear your physical space of things that you don’t want, you make room for what you do want. For instance, if you’re single and believing God for a spouse, shouldn’t you make room for the wonderful person who is coming your way?
3. Emotional clutter. Do you constantly relive arguments and snide remarks? Do you ever begin a sentence with, “and another thing”? Why are you hanging on to junk? When you think about something that someone did or said that you didn’t like, you choose to suffer over and over again. Let it go. Decide that you are going to forgive the person. Even if the person does the same thing every day. You can’t control what people do and say, but you can control how you react to it. React with grace. React with forgiveness. You get to choose what you think about. Think about all the beauty that God has created. Oceans, mountains, lions, babies. Think about all that you have to be grateful for. If you’re dwelling on old hurts, there’s no room for joy, peace and new relationships.
Where will you begin your decluttering campaign?
