When your personal space and environment are cluttered, it leads to cluttered mind. It is super difficult to make thoughtful, peaceful decisions when you are surrounded by a location full of stuff that has no home.
What leads to this type of existence?
Lots of things...
Delayed decisions
Excess
Exhaustion
Overwhelm
Sentimentality
I don't have time to tackle that right now in full, so I won't do any of it
I don't know what to do first
These things all come down to cognitive distortions, or what I call "Thinking Glitches."
Let's take each in turn to learn how to challenge our irrational or unchallenged thoughts!
For example: (there are many other ways to look at these things, but this is my quick take for illustrative purposes only).
Delayed decisions - Instead of, I don't know what to do with this (insert the piece of clutter), you can challenge that thought statement with "I get to choose what to do with this piece of paper, so, what would serve me best?"
Excess - Instead of, "I must keep this item so that I don't run out in the future, you can challenge it by saying something like, "I have one already, and when that is used up, I can get another. I don't have to take up space with things I may never use."
Exhaustion - Instead of, "I have to xyz," try, "I can spend five minutes before bed tidying up and do another five minutes in the morning."
Overwhelm - Instead of, "This is too messy; I'll NEVER get it straightened out, you can say, "I know this is a lot, but I just need to take one action and then another until I get the results I seek."
Sentimentality - Instead of, "I should hold onto this because Grandma loved it," you can try, "I know Grandma loved it, but she also loved me and doesn't want me to be saddled with guilt and something I don't even like."
I don't have time to tackle that right now in full, so I won't do any of it - Instead of, "I can't do it until I can do it all and do it all right," try, "It is okay to do what I can right now."
I don't know what to do first - Instead of, "I can't decide where to start," try, "Anywhere I choose to begin will be a good start and help me to make progress."
Do you see how we think unspoken sentences to ourselves?
It's often a mixture of feelings and thoughts and self-statements. However, when you notice the thought and capture it, you can choose what to think instead, which can lead to more empowered actions and results.
Declutter your space as you declutter your thought life, and you will live in a much more peaceful space.
This week's podcast featured an interview with Barb Proia, of www.youorganizedbybarb.com. You can take a listen here: .
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