I Resolve....to de-clutter

The following challenge hangs on my fridge to spur me on to greatness in my home.

"Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful" - William Morris

And of course you know how things on your fridge begin to blend in with the scenery until you just don't notice them much. I would do better to have this stuck to my forehead as a constant reminder.

And so I resolve in 2009 to reduce clutter in the following areas:

1) Stuff Clutter

Unless we are obsessive compulsive, we all have it in our homes. Too much stuff. Stuff we think we might need, so we keep it. Junk mail that piles up by the door. Newspapers, magazines, bills, books, paper, paper..... paper. Things. Knick-knacks. Gifts we didn't like but guilt makes us keep them. Clothes. They might fit again some day. Shoes we haven't worn in a decade. Need some inspiration? Go to http://www.flylady.net/ and start flying. Even if you think flylady is a little extreme, she has some excellent suggestions and encouragement so you don't get down about being buried in clutter, or defeated by the demands of life. Step by step, 15 minutes a day, you can de-clutter your life.

2) Financial Clutter

With recession looming in our country and around the world, it is important to manage our finances and not feel out of control with our spending. Remember that annual shock when your last paystub of the year indicates your gross year-to-date earnings.....where the heck did that money go?? (Part of the answer of course is on that same paystub under 'income tax paid'....but let's not go there....). Knowing your income, your expenses, and what you've really been spending your money on, will give you a clear picture on where to go from here to earn more if necessary, pay down debt, and free you to plan for the future. To de-clutter financially is to de-stress.

3) Body Clutter

Flylady touches on this problem as well. We stuff our bodies with crap that really shouldn't cross our lips, but if we really examine why, often it is emotional eating or poor habits. She urges us to move our bodies - even if only 20-30 minutes a day. Food should be eaten to give our bodies what they require and keep them healthy, and exercise will help rid the body clutter that drags us down. This is a tough resolution for me because I desperately wanted to gain weight when I was young and never pictured weight gain ever happening - ageing seems to creep up and change one's metabolism!

4) Mind Clutter

There's lots of trash around to freely stuff in your mind - crappy attitudes, gossip, hatred, lies, porn. Junk. This is the clutter no one sees, so you can get away with it...for a time. Until it spills out in your speech and your actions. And it will at some point. 'Garbage in, garbage out'. You are what you 'eat'. I imagine our minds can hold a gazillion kilobytes of the stuff - but dragging to the recycle bin - not so easy. Still sits in the hard drive. Better not to devour it in the first place. De-clutter.... or you will end up dumping clutter on others.

5) Time Clutter

We all have 24 hours a day. Sometimes I hate that statement. Because others accomplish so much more than I do, but I have no excuse. I need to take stock of my moments. How many were totally wasted? Too much internet, TV, personal entertainment....more time spent on 'me' than on others? Perhaps if I take what I want to accomplish and break it down into short periods I can be successful, rather than feel overwhelmed by the task and thus do nothing at all. I want to make the moments count while I still have them.

6) Spiritual Clutter

Do you have a whole mix of spiritual thoughts and ideas in your head but don't take the time to sort them out? What specifically do you believe? What do you not believe? What do you base your conclusions on? What do you think your purpose is in life and why? Do you need a purpose? The answers to these questions and more determine how you shape your days, how you see your future, and prepare you for struggles and difficulties when they inevitably come your way. You'll never have all the answers to spiritual questions, but it's important to clear the clutter, know what you truly believe and why, and then begin to live it in those daily moments you want to count while you still have them.

I guess clearing clutter all comes down to one word....'SIMPLIFY'.

So how come it seems so complicated to get there??!!!

Happy New Year!