The end of the year…
is upon us. But I don’t want to think about the last twelve months. The whole year is too big.
It’s enough to deal with the end of the month, or the end of the day even.
We humans tend to see the big picture.
We take everything in at once and then get overwhelmed, anxious, and emotional. Everything gets unbearably large, gargantuan, a behemoth of responsibilities, information, choices, and decisions that we can get easily crushed by.
The only thing that I am thinking about right now is what I’m going to have for dinner. But if I let myself, my thoughts will run off like a dog and a taste of freedom. Upon my return all will be as before. Nothing got done.
That is why I am a list maker. I have a calendar for the month and a notepad for daily tasks.
There are no rules. Whatever I cross off for the day is an accomplishment. Anything left on the list will be dealt with the next day. Sometimes I decide mid-day to remove something from the list because I no longer find it necessary or important.
My calendar is an adorable 5 x 8, that is clipped with a magnetic clothes pin hanging from my dry erase board. My notepad is a Staples standard issue. I have it affixed to a clip board so I can feel professional because I do mean business.
To-do lists can include thoughts, ideas, and epiphanies. Once you set them to paper, they are out of your head and off your shoulders.
All I have to worry about is the day at hand. If I’m on schedule I may look ahead and decide to “complete” another day. Every now and then I look over my calendar and exhale.
De-cluttering for clarity
During one of my purging phases I came across some supplies for making rubber-stamps that I had forgotten about. They included rubber carving blocks, ink, cutter tools, a stamp pad, and a brayer.
At first, I thought that stamping would be fun. I ignored the fact that I had a bunch of other projects in play at the time. That’s part of being a procrastinator: starting new things without finishing existing projects and then eventually not seeing through the new thing.
So, of course, I made a couple of rudimentary stamps, and upon realizing how hard it is to make a rubber stamp, I abandoned it. And rather than hanging my head in shame because this was one more thing that I didn’t finish, I gently told myself that it was not the craft for me.
I packed it all in a box, took it to the Salvation Army and never looked back.
The guilt was unnecessary. Once, I determined its purpose which was to derail me from my true path, getting rid of it was nothing short of heroic, Lol.
Determining the value of all your stuff
So, after de-cluttering my craft room I determined that the rubber-stamping adventure had no value. I simply manufactured some to make myself feel better about procrastinating.
I knew that I was afraid to face my writing.
After removing the stamping tools from my space, I felt lighter and less stressed.
Happy that another unfinished or unrealized project wasn’t staring me down wagging its finger, Lol, I returned to my writing.
Clearing your mind
Every time you remove an object, or idea, from your literal or figurative space you perk up your potential. Unnecessary thoughts, like things, affect your momentum. They knock you off your path, steal your time, create speed bumps, hurdles, and walls.
Removing things that you know deter you from what you should be doing creates a clear path.
However, if it’s something you really want to explore, put it on your calendar. Devote an hour or less to this new venture but set a timer and when it goes off, stop!
Then, at the end of the day after you have completed the tasks on your calendar/note pad, you are free to get back to this activity without guilt.
When purging things ask yourself is the item useful to you, do you use it often? Is the object something that brings you peace or joy? Do you feel obligated to keep it? Is it just there because being surrounded by things make your space feel lived in, cozy, and like home?
When purging thoughts and ideas first write everything down. Investigate your motive for each. Does the idea contribute to your larger goals or take you away from them? Do you have too many ideas? If so, see what you can delay, set aside, or let go all together.
Organize your thoughts into categories. I have wire baskets that house all my creative stuff. I just pull out a basket, add to it, or utilize something for a larger project.
Emptiness is full of possibility
If de-cluttering possessions is a stress reliever, then clearing your mind is rejuvenating.
And remember if you started something that you didn’t finish, maybe it’s because you didn’t really want to do it in the first place. Let it go. Take heart you are not a quitter. You have just made a strategic move to find or get back on your path.
When I am in an organized room, I can breathe. And when I can breathe easily, I can think.
I get my best ideas when I’m doing yoga or in the shower where there is limited distraction. Focusing on the body calms the mind, allowing creativity a place to sit.
Resist the urge to fill up an empty room, likewise an empty mind, with things without purpose. Possibility can only develop where there is space.
“Let your mind become clear like a still woodland pond.”
Buddha
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