Declutter Your Life

I’ve lived in a world of overwhelm so long, I didn’t realize I was drowning. Deciding to de-clutter my life is actually looking at ALL areas of my life. This includes my physical surroundings, my financial budget, emails, Facebook, and even work.

I read two e-books several months ago by a new Facebook friend, Shirley Harvey. The first was “The Happy Hoarder’s Guide to Getting Rid of that Crap”, and “The Spiritual Guide for the Clutter Buster”.  Both books started a journey for me which I really knew inside, needed to happen. I want you to know; I am NO WHERE NEAR having all my “crap” in order! But I’ve started the process.

I’m a little ADHD, so I can’t start a project and see it through right away. I start something, get bored, and move onto the next project.  At some point, I come back around and finish up what I’ve started. I work on my emails and social media off and on. Sometimes I will have pockets of time and will spend 15 or 20 minutes unsubscribing from email lists. I may take 20 or 30 minutes to look at all those pages I follow on Facebook and “unlike” those not relevant to me anymore. This frees up space and time for me later.

I decided to take a look at our “money drains” and let go of things we really don’t need. Take for instance the Home phone/cable/internet bill that companies neatly “bundle” for us. Ah, isn’t that sweet. They help us with a nice tidy package so we don’t have a separate bill for each one…Well; I decided I didn’t need that package anymore. So, my husband and I received a little gadget from our son in law and daughter at Christmas called Apple TV… It’s a one-time gadget to hook up to the TV, and you can play things like Netflix and Hulu, and other cool things through it.  So, a few weeks ago, I got rid of the home phone, and cable. We ordered a little digital thing from Clear TV. I purchased 2 of them for 19.95 plus shipping and handling. We received them today! We get 26 channels. We have tons of movies to watch through Netflix. I pay for internet only now.  My bill went from $204.00/month to $55.00/month and I increased the speed of the internet! (You have to have internet for the Apple TV to run) I also use internet for my blogging and other business stuff!

Today, I was talking about my iPhone on Facebook. Found out I could get unlimited talk and text from Cricket for $50.00/month for the usage of 2 phones. When my ATT contract ran out, I was going to switch. We have unlimited plans for 2 phones, and its $165.00/month. Well, I called ATT today and asked if they had an unlimited talk/text plan, and I found out I couldn’t do it since we had “smart phones”… What I did find out was that we could get rid of most of the data and as long as we use our data sparingly, we could change our plan to $65.00/month… How cool is that? So I did that! We will be saving another $95.00/month.  Wow! That feels SO freeing.

I went through a really crazy DE clutter on Facebook and Pinterest the other day.  I unfollowed about 400 pages I liked on Facebook. I had never cleaned through those, and I couldn’t believe how many I had “liked” over the years I’ve been on Facebook. So, that feels better. I also unclogged my Pinterest account, and only “follow” those pages who really “Pin” things I’m interested in.  Whew!

My next two projects are my office and my kitchen. I’m starting with my kitchen tonight. Would you believe I’ve got about 30 sharp or serrated knives? WHY do I have so many? WHY do I need to keep so many? I don’t!!! So, I’ve got a box, and the “extras” are going there, and going to Goodwill!  Also, why do I have 3 different ½ cup measurers? I don’t need but 1. OK. Out the other 2 go. I don’t need duplicates. I don’t need things I never use. Out they go. My goal is clear countertops, and a peaceful view. (or if any of you locally know where I can donate this kitchen stuff for people to get it free, PLEASE let me know)

I LOVED Shirley’s books because what I realized is that I am hindering my peace and flow by all this clutter. So, I’m back at it again. I’m setting small goals (Kaizen Steps), working toward my goal to work at home by de-cluttering my finances and creating an atmosphere of peace in my surroundings.

What goals do you have? Do you need to de-clutter? Don’t know where to start? Does it feel TOO overwhelming? Let me help you begin your process. Realizing WHERE to start is the first step. I was able to help a coaching client a few years ago after she took the Wellness Inventory. We developed a strategy. She utilized Kaizen Steps, and it wasn’t long until she had her home in order! That wasn’t MY priority for my life then, but now it is.  Isn’t it awesome how we are individuals, and we are all at different places in our lives? I’m organizing my space and my place for a new chapter in my life! What are you ready to change?