but not always connected.

Smart phones and iPads, Facebook and Twitter, podcasts and email, Words with Friends and the nightly news, and and and….
Some devices may indeed be wireless-but we’re still tethered.

Once again, more isn’t necessarily better-it’s just more.
The constantly available stream of information, updates, images, sound bites as well as requests to Like, Friend, LinkIn, support and forward can be overwhelming.

How do you know when it has all become too much?
Just like with other clutter in our lives we need to take a giant step back, take a breath and decide:
Is this how and where I want to spend my limited time and energy?
Does this connection add value to my life and relationships?
Do I have room (mentally and emotionally) for this in my life?
Is keeping up with all this across the cyber world interfering with me making real live connections?

Only you know how much is enough for you.
If you’re unsure or perhaps unaware of whether you’re connected or just plugged in-try unplugging for a while and see how you feel.
Turn off the radio on your commute.
Only check Facebook once a day.
Make Wednesday TV free.
Leave your phone in the car the next time you go out to dinner.
Call your friend instead of texting.

A less cluttered life isn’t just about dealing with the junk mail or hanging up your coat instead of dropping it on the chair-
it’s about making decisions about all the interwoven, over lapping, amazingly complex as well as obviously simple aspects of our lives.
And the choices are all yours.

Eww….
How many of our thoughts begin with “I should……….”
I should get more sleep. I should eat better.  I should get more exercise. I should learn to meditate.
I should be thinner, richer, kinder, smarter, more successful, a better friend, parent, co worker.
I should be doing more, having more, being more.

Where did those expectations of behaviors come from?  
How was it decided that those results are important to you and what gives your life meaning and joy?
Despite the constant Should Tape looping in your mind, why is it that so many of those things never happen?

The next time the Should Whisperer leans in and tries wielding their Should Stick, pause.  
Take a breath.
Figure out just who or what is actually behind that urging.
What voice from your past, or the media, or self help book, or younger you is fueling the Whisperer’s insistence.

The problem isn’t the actions or the results you’re hoping to achieve.
The problem is in automatically assuming that all those Shoulds will make your life happier, easier, more successful.
Letting go of the Shoulds happens when you consciously decide which things really are important to you.

You only have a limited amount of time and energy-where do you want to spend it?
And who do you want to spend it with?

Let go of the shoulds that make you feel ewwww….
Decide for yourself, for the life you want to be living now, which actions you want to take.
And begin taking small steps in that direction.
Maybe:
Go to bed fifteen minutes earlier.
Have an apple.
Call a friend and meet for coffee.
Walk around the block at lunch time.
Spend ten minutes in silence on the drive to work.

It’s your one true life.
Mindfully choose how you want to be living it.

Decide what is important.  Let go of everything else.
Sounds simple enough, but it isn’t always easy.

Things we’ve purchased, gifts we’ve received, sentimental items, relationships, beliefs, all of Justin Case’s stuff.
Although we’ve committed to having a less cluttered life, moving from desire to action requires more thought and effort than we initially realized.

Some times the letting go is easy-the ugly clothes, the books we’ll never read, or the telephone bills from three years ago.
Other choices present us with reminders of who we used to be, things we thought we might enjoy, people who are no longer in our lives, unnecessary or duplicate purchases, and gifts we don’t need or even like, but have felt obligated to keep.

It is when we are faced with these harder choices when we need to remember the simple part.
What you want is a simpler life.
A life that holds only what important and supports the life and activities you truly love.
A life of connection and meaningful relationships.  
However that looks to you.

Only you get to decide what things resonate with you.
What clothes make you feel fabulous.
Which gifts bring you joy and warm your heart to the giver. 
What supplies allow you to make the art you want to create.
How many _______ is enough to make you feel you have an abundant and full life.

It is only clutter if it gets in the way of you having your one best life.

Actually quite simple if you pause and take the time to really think about it………

What we want is a less cluttered life.
What we sometimes forget is that the process to get there is just as important and interesting as the results.

It is through the sorting and deciding, keeping or giving, arranging and organizing that we realize some of the reasons why we have clutter in the first place.  

When we take the time to look at what is piled up and where, what never gets put away, what we’ve purchased but never used; we get little Aha moments.  It is in those moments where we can start to shift our mindset or set new priorities about how we want to be living and maintaining our homes.

Sorting and organizing can be tiring, not because we’re moving many many items, but because each of those items requires a decision, consideration, and perhaps a mental or emotional connection we hadn’t consciously made.  The process literally involves processing our connections to what we own.  (Or may own us….)

By paying attention, making conscious decisions about what activities we want to happen in what spaces, how many is really enough, why  we keep some things and readily  let go of others, and what is the easiest and simplest way to store our belongings; the results of the process of decluttering will be easier to maintain.

It’s true that the results/destination are a great motivation, but paying attention during the process/travel makes the journey far more interesting and the arrival more appreciated.

Sometimes we confuse the price of something with its cost.

The dollar sign with the numbers after it is the price.
The cost involves not just money, but also what was involved in getting the item to you, how long did you work to get the money to buy it, the time you spend using it, the space it takes up in your life-on every level, and what will happen to it when you no longer need or want it?

Cheap things usually are. Just because something was on sale or a good deal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bargain.
Try to keep in mind the difference between wanting something and actually needing it.  And there’s always the how many is enough question!

Having fewer things of better quality, considering cost per usage and better understanding why you purchase certain items will help you avoid bringing clutter into your home.
Before you put it in the cart or hit Buy Now, think about what it is that you’re hoping this purchase will change/improve/add to your life and home.  

Make the money you do spend buy happiness in ways that are important and meaningful to you.

Pay more attention so that the price you pay is worth the cost.

It’s your life and your decisions.

Oh, watch The Story of Stuff to get another perspective on the cost of things.

as clutter.

Not only can there be physical clutter in our lives, there is mental and emotional as well.  (You’re thinking, oh, great.)

Given that clutter is anything that gets in the way of you living the life you truly want, connecting with the people and things that are important to you; complaining certainly does get in the way.

Just as we sort through our other clutter to decide what to keep and what to let go of, taking the time to look at who or what we’re complaining about gives us the opportunity to get some clarity about what exactly the problem might be.

What is it about the situation or person that annoys us?  Angers?  Frustrates?  Is it an ongoing whine on your part or a reaction to a new or unfamiliar circumstance?  How much mental space is it taking up?  How frequently do you go  over and over this same complaint?  

What if you let it go?
Or dealt with the underlying issue?
Or took one small action to resolve the situation?

Most clutter is the result of a deferred decision.  
How much of what we complain about is caused by us not taking an action we are perfectly aware of, but would rather put off?

Try applying the Two minute Rule (If you can do something in two minutes or less, do it now) in circumstances where you find yourself getting ready to whine or complain.  What could you do to change your attitude, your reaction, your response, your results?

Less time and mental energy spent complaining gives you more  opportunity  to engage in a heartfelt way in your life and relationships.
You have so much to be grateful for-whining really does seem beneath you.

You don’t need to pile clothes on the chair to keep it from floating up to the bedroom ceiling.
It isn’t necessarily to leave this morning’s (or last night’s) dirty dishes on the kitchen counter to hold it down.
The carpet will stay in place even without the cds and books randomly stacked on it.

Hang up your clothes when you take them off. 
Put the dishes in the dishwasher. 
Shelve the books and cds in the bookcase where they belong.

Even though it feels as if there is a magnetic force field that attracts clutter once it starts,
that field is easily disrupted by some simple new habits and routines. 

Just as you can trust gravity to do its job,
trust yourself that you can maintain clutter free home. 
One decision at a time.

“Exploration in conversation is sometimes very satisfying.”  Catherine Aguilera

Expressing our thoughts aloud, sharing our anxieties, articulating our worries and our options may help us
clear the mental clutter and chatter that often seems to be a constant in our lives.

Spending time in conversation gives us the opportunity to articulate our feelings,
as well as allows deeper connections with the people we choose as our listeners.

Talking often helps us peel off the layers that cloud certain thoughts and ideas.  
And  allows us to go deeper and perhaps have an Aha moment in regard to a difficulty or challenge.

Make time in your life to build connections through heartfelt conversation.

Speaking of connections:  I will be disconnecting this next week.  From the phone, the Web and most things electronic.
I’m off on an adventure:  Relaxing, seeing new sights and hanging out with my family. Making time to make deeper connections.

Waffling between keeping an item or letting it go?
Ask yourself, “Would I buy it today?”
Your yes or no response will let you know if it will stay or go.

True you might have spent good money for it.
Or it is perfectly good or useful or hardly worn.
None of those are reasons enough to allot it space in your closet, drawer, or life now.

Surround yourself with the things you need, use, love and value in the life you are really living.
Giving up things that don’t fit, you’ve kept out of guilt or obligation, unnecessary impulse purchases or
left overs from an activity you no longer have the time or energy for  will create room physically, mentally and emotionally in your home and life.

Make room for quiet, joy, love and connections.

was the last time you did something for the first time?

Something as simple as took a different route to work.
Or tried a new restaurant in the neighborhood.
Volunteered to be the Team Leader on a work project.
Hosted a family gathering at your house.
Signed up for a language class or the watercolor workshop.

Routines can assist us in simplifying the mechanics of daily living.
However, when routines turn into ruts, our lives become narrow and lose some of their spark.

Balancing simplicity with new experiences helps keep our lives interesting, and our hearts and minds engaged.

It doesn’t matter if your ‘first’ is  jumping out of an airplane,
or  trying a soy latte.
New experiences create new pathways in our brains,
spark new thoughts and sensations,
and open us up to new possibilities.