Loving the Chaos

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Manage Clutter.

The challenge for the month has been to manage clutter in one small area of your life.

Next week we’ll add in a new challenge.

How has it been to remove some of the physical clutter in your life this month?

It’s not uncommon to find if you stick with the decluttering of stuff for a while, you might begin to declutter some other things too. Things like old ideas that no longer serve you, relationships that have become stale, habits that are unproductive.

There’s an emotional and intellectual aspect of managing clutter. We all hang on to things in our heads that have long out lived their usefulness. Just like in your cupboards or drawers, once you move them out, you can free up space in your head for new ideas, relationships and habits.

Here are a few great resources as you continue on your declutter journey:

Organizing from the Inside Out and other books by Julie Morgenstern

It’s All Too Much and other books by Peter Walsh

Strategies for managing household tasks by the FlyLady

I’d love to hear what you have to say about this month’s Manage Clutter challenge.

Please take a moment and post a comment.

You can find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Manage Clutter.

Here’s the simple change to make:

manage clutter in one small area of your life

We started with decluttering one drawer or closet. Then last week we tackled the bedroom. That challenge seemed to resonate with many of you who sent me emails or posted comments.

This week take a look around your office. Just like the bedroom, your office can hold the energy of too many commitments or unfinished projects.

I know some of you will say, “I work just fine in a cluttered office space – it’s my style.” I want to challenge you on that idea. At the very least a cluttered office wastes time as you look for things you need. At the worst it undermines your confidence and creativity.

I’m not advocating Martha Stewart perfection unless that appeals to you. Instead simply take on the challenge of clearing your desk. Keep only what you are currently working on in sight. Before you leave at the end of the day, tidy and organize your desk for the next day.

Home offices can become the magnet for all kinds of things that don’t belong there. Consider moving them back to their rightful place.

Remember one small step at a time.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share what you are doing with the Manage Clutter challenge.

And…

You can find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted  in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Manage Clutter.

Here’s the simple change to make:

manage clutter in one small area of your life

Last week you tackled decluttering one drawer or closet.

What was that like?

Sometimes if you have a lot of decluttering to do, you can feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. Remember all change occurs with small steps taken consistently. You also might have felt a sense of relief or satisfaction or a little extra get-up-and-go as you completed the task. That’s just the increased energy flow you’ve created. And you might have let your inner critic grumble a bit about how you got yourself into this mess.

Managing clutter can seem like a daunting task, but the benefits are so rewarding!

This week look around your bedroom and see how much clutter there is there. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary in which you feel restored. It’s the space where you go to sleep which is a necessary activity for your physical and mental well-being.

For many people, their bedrooms are a reflection of all of their undone tasks:

laundry to be done

laundry to be put away

books waiting to be read

health and beauty products unused

exercise equipment ignored

clothing that does not fit

All of those things drain the energy in your bedroom. You also drag all of these undone things into your sleep.

This week manage the clutter in your bedroom. Focus on one thing if there are many to take care of. Then when you climb into bed, you can look around the room with a greater sense of accomplishment.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share your clutter free journey.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Manage Clutter.

Here’s the simple change to make:

manage clutter in one small area of your life

Managing physical, mental and emotional clutter is one of the reasons people work with me as a life coach. When you finally realize that clutter holds you back in so many ways, there are some simple strategies you can use to help declutter.

For the purposes of our 10 in 2010 challenge, we’ll focus on managing physical clutter.

Why would you want to do that?

Unless you are in the minority, you have way too much stuff. Period.

We live in a consumer society where buying stuff is an acceptable addiction. Where do we put all that stuff? In increasingly larger homes. According to authors Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss in their book Affluenza, houses today are 2 – 3 times the size they were fifty years ago. It’s not about having more living space. It’s more about having enough space to store all the things they buy.

In the 1950’s people lived 900 square foot houses. That’s the size of many car garages today. And what do people put in their big garages?

Stuff.

To top it all off, many people now also rent storage spaces for the things they can’t fit into their closets or basements.

What toll does all that stuff take? Besides the impact on your wallet, being surrounded by clutter disrupts the energy flow in your house, leaves you feeling overwhelmed and often dissatisfied.

So this week look around and decide which drawer or closet needs a little decluttering. Choose one and begin there.

Here are some basic tips for clearing up the clutter:

• sort into boxes – keep, recycle, donate, belongs somewhere else, garbage
• ask yourself if you love the item or if it is currently functional or necessary? If no, move it out.
• ask yourself if the item can be replaced if you get rid of it. If yes, move it out.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share your clutter free thoughts.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips. They are located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Be Still.

Your challenge for the month has been to create 10 minutes of stillness in your day.

Next week we’ll add a new challenge.

What have been the benefits of creating a little quiet space in your day?

Are you tuning into things that you might otherwise have missed?

Doing a body scan is another way to be still and increase your awareness. Imagine running an invisible scanner over your body to detect areas of tension or other sensations. While there are certainly benefits to doing a more comprehensive body scan which could take 30 minutes or longer, here’s a quick activity to try:

Close your eyes. Beginning with your toes and moving up the length of your body, ask yourself, “Where am I tense?”

If you discover a tight area, contract the muscles there for a few seconds and then release. Continue moving up your body until you reach the top of your head.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share your thoughts about being still.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted  in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Be Still.

Here’s the simple change to make:

create 10 minutes of stillness in your day

Some people use meditation to create stillness in their day. For other people, the idea of meditation seems overwhelming, or they are not sure how to go about doing it right.

Mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn says about meditation, “If you are doing it, you’re doing it right.”

Here’s a simple way to use meditation to create some stillness in your day:

Find a comfortable spot and take a few minutes to relax. Then simply focus on your breath. Your mind will certainly wander while you are doing this – and that’s perfectly natural. Just notice that it happened and then return your focus to your breathing. You can use a word to help you – like breathe in calm and breathe out stress. Or you can breathe in using a count of five and then breathe out to a count of five.

Try it for 5 minutes to start.

You can learn more about meditation and mindfulness by watching the video Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn. It’s an hour and 12 minutes but definitely worth it.

Or you can read one of his books which include  Wherever You Go There You Are and Coming to Our Senses.

What experiences have you had with meditation?

Please take a minute to post a comment and share your thoughts.

As always, you can find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Be Still.

Here’s the simple change to make:

create 10 minutes of stillness in your day

Last week you tried 5 minutes of being still, listening to your body and inner wisdom.

There were 2 questions to ask yourself during this time:

What am I aware of in this moment?

What do I need in this moment?

When we are still, we often become aware of things that we have been ignoring during our busy day – like a sense of fatigue, or stress. You might become aware of tight muscles or the weight of your commitments.

Alternatively you might also become aware of a sense of gratitude or peace. You might have a feeling of satisfaction or contentment.

When you become aware of things that are not working well, you can often also recognize what you need right now – more help, fewer obligations, more sleep or relaxation. By asking yourself what you need in the moment, you are taking the first step in being able to create it.

When you recognize that things are working well, there’s an opportunity to celebrate for a moment, and consider what contributes to your sense of satisfaction.

Please take a minute to post a comment  and share what you are discovering by being still.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted. They are located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Be Still.

Here’s the simple change to make:

create 10 minutes of stillness in your day

Last month we were focusing on moving more so it might seem a little contradictory that this month your challenge is to be still.

There’s a difference between inactivity and being still.

Stillness is a purposeful activity that allows you to stop and re-connect with yourself.

Why would you want to be still?

If you are like most people you are running from morning till night with multiple commitments on the go. That doesn’t leave much time for you to catch your breath and check in with yourself. When that happens you are more likely to ignore or miss both physical and intuitive signals of how well you are actually managing life.

Creating a few minutes of stillness in your day allows you to check that you are indeed focusing on your most important priorities and are not being sidetracked by everyone else’s.

This week set aside 5 minutes each day to just be still.

Sit down, turn off your cell phone etc. and take a couple of deep breaths. Clear your mind for a moment of your to-do list. Close your eyes.

Then ask yourself:

What am I aware of in this moment?

You will likely find some very useful information about your energy or your inner critic or your stress level.

Then ask yourself:

What do I need in this moment?

For this week don’t worry too much about the answers to the questions. Just ask yourself and take note of what pops up. We’ll talk more next week about what to do with the answers.

Please take a minute to post a comment and share your thoughts about being still.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Move More.

Your challenge for the month is to incorporate 15 minutes of physical activity into your day.

Next week we’ll add in a new challenge.

So how’s it been moving more this month?

Are you more aware of how active you are?

The whole idea behind moving more is to create an active lifestyle.

Here are some other ways that you can do that:

• take the stairs for 3 flights or less
• walk when you are going somewhere less than a mile away
• give up the remote control
• walk to your co-worker’s office rather than emailing or phoning

Its small choices made consistently that will create a more active lifestyle. Each one may not seem like that big a deal, but over time it all adds up.

Please take a minute to post a comment about this month’s move more challenge.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted. They are located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Move More.

Your challenge for the month is to incorporate 15 minutes of physical activity into your day.

Here’s an interesting study.

According to the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study, there’s a correlation between lying around watching TV and death – specifically from heart disease but also from other causes.

What’s interesting is that the researchers found that even for people at a healthy weight, sitting around makes it harder for the body to process blood sugars and fats.

So what’s that mean for you?

No matter what weight you are at, get off your butt and move more.

Please take a minute to post a comment and share your move more strategies.

Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted. They are located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.