Stop the Inflow! (A GREAT 1st Step to Decluttering) Are you tired of clutter? Yeah, me too. Do you also find it tough to make time to do something about it? I feel you. Life is busy. I get it. We don’t always have tons of discretionary time that we can set aside for decluttering projects. However, there are always things we can do. Here’s something you can start doing today, regardless of your time constraints… Stop the inflow! Having “too much” is causing problems. Adding more on top of it will only complicate things. The clutter that you are experiencing has built up over time. There is a steady stream into your toybox / schedule / house / life. If there’s “too much,” then that implies that there needs to be less. The work of stopping the flow requires some effort, and you will only do it if you are committed to less. Start saying “No” (kindly, but firmly and frequently). This is where progress begins. If you’ve determined that you don’t have enough time to sort through the messes you have, you can at least stop adding to them or making new ones. It doesn’t take any extra time to start saying “No.” Go ahead. Try it. Say it in the mirror if you have to. You need to get really good at saying it because it is one of the most important tools in your decluttering toolbox! Of course, we should always be kind in how we say it, but we must be willing to be firm and insistent that something has to give. At the very beginning, it may require a more drastic approach to what we say “No” to, but it’s only for a season. Then, we can taper it off if we need to. Here are a few examples of ways you can say “No”: Buy less. (Toys, books, clothing, everything) Don’t accept new responsibilities or appointments. Unsubscribe from excessive email subscriptions. Stop some of your social networks (or at least turn off the notifications). Limit your entertainment. (movies, TV, books) Don’t accept invitations to friends’ get-togethers. (Sounds harsh, but sometimes, we have to say “No” so we can fix what’s broken) People may not always understand. However, it has to be done. You have to be willing to make different choices than you are currently making. Eventually this will free up some time and space. After a short while, you will begin to see pockets of time opening up. Your consistent “No” is starting to pay off. Some of your previous commitments will come to an end. Because you said “No” to the new ones, you now have some time for other things. So, when this happens, fight the temptation to cram more things into that space. Use this time to get to work. Now that you’ve found a little bit of time, you can start to take additional baby steps. This is where you can begin to strengthen your legs. You actually have some time to start attacking the mess, a little at a time. So, take advantage of it! What are the things that you need to say, “No,” to today, so you can stop the inflow? (This post is an adjusted excerpt from the eBook, Living Clutter-Free with Kids in the House that releases this Thursday, July 4. It will be FREE to download for 3 days. Grab your copy between Thursday-Saturday, July 4-6.)
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 16:09:48 +0000
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