De-Cluttering: Combat the Sabotage

by Hershey Wier

I keep a basket of books near the sofa and when I'm ready for a time of quiet, I select one and start paging through. I'm amazed at the number of times I come across information that is just what the doctor ordered. It gives me affirmation and encouragement that I am on the right track.

Yesterday my house-helper, Hikari, and I spent half a day organizing and cleaning around our home. She's a great organizer, so she went through drawers and cabinets and arranged stuff in an orderly manner. Like many people, when I move into a home, I start out with good intentions, lining up items on shelves, storing them neatly away in labeled compartments. But as time goes on, the items seem to magically jump around, and soon enough, I've got closets of clutter. Soon, I haven't a clue what's where and I haven't the time nor inclination to deal with it.

So, yesterday when I opened up our utilities drawer after Hikari had reorganized it, I was surprised that a good percentage of what I had in the drawers was batteries. Batteries of all shapes and types. Wow, I didn't know I had that many batteries in that drawer! Hmm... and I was just about to buy some more, too. Whew! I never noticed them piling up in my drawer because they were buried under all sorts of other stuff that we use and put back in the drawer on a daily basis. That stuff stayed on top of the pile, hiding other stuff at the bottom that we rarely used or needed. Once all the batteries lying at the bottom of the drawer were rounded up and placed neatly in a plastic box, we had so much more room for other items in the drawer. We could more clearly assess what we had and what could be thrown out.

Connecting this experience with something I'm reading - Suze Orman's The Courage to Be Rich.

She talks about the commonplace problem of clutter in a section called "Clutter's Compound Interest."

"Why won't we let these items go, the useless items we keep around us? It is the profound fear of loss, which prevents us from gain. ...It's this same fear of loss, however, that cuts off the possibility for more. You've heard the phrase 'Less is more'? In this context it means that clutter blocks the way for more. Surrounded by clutter, you can't find what you need, see what you have, notice what you value or pinpoint what's missing. In a rich and radiantly abundant life, on the other hand, one in which there is clarity, there is always room for more to come."

Isn't that wonderful? We can relate this to the clutter we have in our minds, as well. We have that over-arching dream / life goal, and yet as each day passes, if we're fighting with a cluttered life, we're disappointed that we did nothing or next to nothing to work toward it. It's because our minds and our lives are cluttered with activities that are keeping us from spending time on our main life goals. Those on our list who have multiple roles as the primary family caretaker / nurturer, as well as the primary income earner outside of the home, have an especially challenging job cut out for them. Where does the time come from to work on their life goals - that business, that book, for example.

The reason why the time-management techniques we hear about often don't work is not because the techniques need to be changed, but we do. We must learn to say "no." We must say "no" to that side business that's not profiting, or that social engagement that sounds interesting, or to home obligations that could be taken care of by another family member. Yet, when we start paring down, guilt and fear will surely do their sabotage. When you say "no" to yourself, to your life goals, look carefully at the excuses you give, and investigate the possibility that you are sabotaging yourself. You could be creating excuses for yourself that are based in fear, guilt and procrastination.

Combat the sabotage.

1) First and foremost - find an accountability buddy. Share what you're going to be cutting down on and share the guilt / fear you feel. Choose your partner carefully, one who understands the guilt and has been able to successfully overcome it may be the best choice.

2) Write down one thing that you're going to cut down on this week and do it. Look at what you do in your free time and see what can be cut out. Can you wake up earlier in order to get more done on your life goal? Can you cut out a club or committee - very difficult I know! Jobs / side businesses - many of us have several sources of income - multi-level marketing, etc. - figure out how much time they're taking and whether the time would be better used toward your main life goal.

3) Change your language from "should" or "may" to "will." Should and may are not commitment words. They leave you an out. Make a promise to yourself, write it down if need be, and then follow through. Share this with your accountability partner for feedback. Reward yourself for completing your task.

4) Write down your progress and share it with your accountability partner. Do you know the story of the rocks in a jar? We must stuff that biggest rock in the jar first (our life goal task of the day). If we don't, as the day goes on, other stuff - smaller rocks, sand and water (phone calls, errands, "emergencies") will flow into the jar, and squeeze out any remaining space. The big rock is your life goal task of the day. Make sure it gets done first, leaving your day free to complete the remainder of your daily obligations. Recognize your enemies - fear, guilt and procrastination. Bounce off your feelings with another trusted accountability partner. Step by step you'll get there if you really have the desire to do so.

Copyright 2001. Hershey Wier
www.hersheywier.com

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