Did you know that organizing your life is one of the kindest acts of self- care there is? Think about it. When things are organized, you spend less time looking for things, reduce overwhelm, set a good example for your children, feel more in control and in balance with what matters to you. When we are organized, our homes, offices and schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want and where we are going.
For most women, the three biggest obstacles to an organized environment and schedule are: clutter (paper and email), planning and follow-through. Both a disorganized environment – physical clutter - and a disorganized schedule—overly packed, haphazard, limited in space or hours—rob you of your energy and increase stress and overwhelm.
A good way to start being organized is with your space and environment. When clearing away clutter in your environment, often there is also the unexpected effect of clearing away emotional clutter too, that may be holding you back from achieving your health goals and reaching success.
Below are 5 questions to create space and free yourself from clutter in your environment.
1. What’s working? It’s helpful to know what’s not “broken” so that you don’t spend time fixing it. Also, a little “good news” is nice to hear.
2. What’s not working? Take a big picture approach here. It takes forever to get things done, because I can’t easily find what I need, so I work a lot of overtime.
3. What items are most essential to you? What information do you need to have at hand?
What I observed works best is to follow this simple yet powerful laser-focused approach to processing paperwork—and electronic communication—so that it doesn't build up:
• Toss it. (Delete, if electronic.)• Refer it. (Forward.)• Act on it personally.• File it. (Archive.)
4. Why do you want to get organized? These are the benefits you will derive from an organized environment. Less stress and anxiety, more time and energy to share with family and friends.
5. What’s causing the problems? Some of the most common sources of clutter: inconvenient or insufficient storage, no designated “home” for things, perception of not enough time to get or stay organized.
The next step is to strategize how to approach the things that are not working and their underlying problems.
For many women, the biggest problem lies in maintaining an organization system. To arrive at any kind of a sustaining system, it’s important to understand and work with obstacles to a clutter-free environment.
The most common obstacles that come up for women include:
Need for accumulation. Women who need to keep a lot of everything around them may be filled with anxiety and dread at the idea of getting rid of things.
Unclear goals and priorities. Organizing is about defining what’s important and setting up a system to reflect that.
Fear of success/fear of failure. Disorganization may be a convenient way to hold back.
Need to retreat. Clutter can be a protective shield to keep others at a safe distance.
Fear of losing creativity. A common myth is that creative, “right-brained” people need to work in chaos to produce high-quality work.
Need for distraction. Clutter can provide a convenient excuse to avoid uncomfortable issues or unwanted tasks.
Sentimental attachment. Infusing objects with personality, emotions and meaning ("That vase will be sad if I throw it out.") usually results in living with an enormous amount of clutter.
Need for perfection. Often, women won't deal with clutter until it can be done perfectly. Translation: It will never get done.
Identifying these obstacles can help you create an effective, lasting solution to clutter and free you from stress and overwhelm so you have more energy to achieve what you truly want.
There are many simple ways to create a clutter free environment. It takes persistence and support from someone to encourage you to keep with it. I would love to be there for you.
Find out more on available coaching programs here: No Excuse Health Coaching Programs
Listening To Your Body For Better Health
For many of us, better health does not come naturally. It is usually something we must work on in order to lead healthy lives and have overall excellent health. This means listening to your body and understanding what it is telling you about what is going on inside the body. Here are some ways you can listen to your body so you can have a life that is sustained by good health.
5 Ways To A More Balanced Life
Creating a work-life balance can be tough. It is very hard to find the delicate balance between a happy boss and happy home life. There are a few things that you should do both at work and at home to create a balanced life.
10 Ways To Combat Fatigue And Increase Your Vitality
We live in a society of tired and worn out people. Many people have desk jobs or sit around all day, which, while not using much actual energy, tends to make us feel zapped and more tired because physical movement begets energy. We run around from work to chores to home where we face more chores without the needed energy to accomplish these tasks. We spend weekends stuck to gaming systems, television screens and spend little time in the fresh air.
