To clear out the clutter in your life, we'll take a look at the physical and emotional clutter. Download our Declutter Your Life Worksheet below and get started reclaiming your life today!
Clutter. That 7-letter word gives me chills. The word clutter to me is the equivalent of another 7-letter word; ANXIETY!
Clutter can be defined in many ways. Obviously, the physical things in your environment that stop you from achieving optimal results are considered clutter. Many times, we look around our house and find physical clutter. It can be too many snack options in the pantry. Perhaps, your kitchen table is a dumping ground for mail. If your desk is disorganized at work, that can hinder productivity - especially when you spend a good amount of your time searching through papers to find what you're looking for.
The other side of clutter is the figurative clutter. Most people tend to clutter our schedules with a lot of "must do's" instead of "want to do's". Our lists every week grow longer and longer with things to do for everyone else, we forget - so often - to add something for our self to our list of things to do.
So almost more important than physical clutter (and that’s important) emotional clutter really stands in the way of our optimal happiness. There's a difference between filling your calendar with things you want to do and filling it with things you have to do.
One of those options leads to much more beneficial emotional health.
So right now, I challenge you - take a look at your schedule and clear one piece of clutter off of it. Just one.
I'm asking you to sit down and take some time for yourself. Take a look at all the things you have on your calendar this week. Go through each day by the half hour and see what you have planned or you know you will be doing that day - as your basic routine.
Then, put a star next to the things that excite you to do and an X next to the things that you really dread.
If you have nothing that excites you, which really can be a problem for all of us, then add something on your calendar one day this week and make room for it.
Start thinking about some time you're going to take to do something for yourself. It doesn’t have to be daunting, like an hours + yoga class. It could be as simple as spending more time on your skin care routine at night or taking a few extra minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee at breakfast without running around like crazy. Time, spent focusing on your own health and care is time you’re taking for yourself. However big or small it may be, just enjoy it.
Clearing time for yourself can be anything from setting time to go to a yoga class or taking a long run or even just having a bubble bath and a glass of wine at the end of a long day after the kids are in bed.
You'll be surprised what kind of mental clarity can accompany even the smallest of time taken to focus on yourself.
Sometimes, you'll be surprised what emotions surface that you didn't even know were there. I've had women tell me that in their moments of taking time for themselves, they have cried and had an emotional release without even knowing why - but find it cathartic to have that release.
So - use this template and start to think about your days this week. Write down what you'll be doing at each time. If you have free time - great! If you don't have free time, do yourself the service of crossing one thing off your list that is not going to provide fulfillment and fill it in with something that will bring you joy.
It's ok to focus on yourself. Nobody is going to go hungry, the laundry and dishes will not rot and you won't lose any friends. I promise.
Download the Declutter Your Life Worksheet.
Tell me what you've decided to eliminate from your calendar this week and what you decided to do for yourself. I can't wait to hear!
For more tips on achieving your fitness goals, we recommend: Resolutions Got You Down?, Get Fit in the Gym, Lose Weight in the Kitchen, How to Set Your New Year Fitness Goals, It's Not About Getting Skinny.
About Wendy Sanacore, Guest Blogger & Empowerment Coach
Wendy Sanacore is a guest blogger. She is a Certified Empowerment Coach who focuses on helping you live your best life. That includes both nutritional and mental well-being.
Wendy is an advocate of loving yourself in order to love those around you and she works to help you get there. Her passion is to help you stretch past your comfort zone and live the life you imagine in your wildest dreams.
Wendy is a fitness advocate, a half marathon runner and an avid yogi and believes in mind and body balance and nutrition. She also sits on the executive board of a Buffalo non-profit focused on empowering women in all aspects of their lives, SheCAN!
Contact Wendy to learn more about how she can help you uncover your goals and start living your best life.
