Clutter and the Truth Behind It

"With clarity and certainty there can be no overwhelm"

I'm not particularly sure who said this originally, but I heard it from my mentor. 

She was dead on. 

A few weeks ago she asked us to take a picture of our work space. 

This was mine.  Looks "nice" right? 

This picture is completely deceiving. Yes my "work space" was nice and organized but what you don't see in this picture is the fact that it was tucked away in a little tiny corner of my Living room/ bedroom. When you try to shove a working space into a living room with a Murphy bed in it and 2 kids you have got to be out of your mind if you think that work is going to get done during the waking hours! 

I work for myself mostly. I am my own boss. I consider myself a "Stay at home Working Mom" Yet I didn't make myself a priority and give myself a space to work in! Sounds nutso right? I didn't realize what I was doing to myself until my mentor talked to us about DE-CLUTTERING YOUR LIFE and what it can do for you. Two things happened! I've become more productive in the time I spend working and I have a place that I can retreat to if everything else around me is overwhelming! 

How do you do this? Well first of all, in my house we are limited on space. So, what I had originally made the "kids play room" that they hardly ever use because no one would be down in the basement with them. I made into a functional office with a play space and coloring area. I went through all of my decorations that have been sitting in boxes and decided that I was going to use some of them for MY space. 

This is my office NOW:

What I want you to realize is that clutter is not JUST physical stuff. It's old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support the betterment of yourself. Creating new habits is free, and most of the time FREEING!

Creating new habits is also easier than CHANGING... replace some bad habits with creating new ones and it will happen naturally.   

Start by doing some of these things:

• Give excess clothing to charity (if you haven't worn it in 6 months GET RID OF IT)
• Clean out your handbags
• Clean out your Closets
• Organize your storage area
• Clean your office/ re design your space
• Get rid of old files/ bills/ paperwork
• Schedule a full physical yearly.. find out what clutter is doing to you!

Make no mistake... Clutter (physical or otherwise) = STRESS

STRESS = weight gain, wrinkles, decreased sex drive, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes types 1&2, Headaches, dizziness, ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, irritability & anger, Panic Disorders, digestive disorders, irritable bowl syndrome, abdominal pain, muscle tension, fibromyalgia, insomnia, asthma, ulcers, Alcoholism, paranoia, irritability, behavior issues, suicide, drug use, and the worst of these... Death.  

The choice is yours.

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De-Cluttering Everyday,

Amanda Christine