I was with a client yesterday when she mentioned she has a bureau in her spare bedroom that had become a catch-all for a bunch of stuff and that it hadn’t been tidied up in quite some time. Her inclination in that moment was to go ahead and get it cleaned up, especially since she had been neglecting it.
And that gave me the idea to do the same. I know for a fact that when we take the time to really look at our environment and see it for what it is, possibly a mess, possibly not quite how we’d like it or just perfect the way it is, it creates a feeling for us. And some are great feelings, others not so much.
Too often we live in those environments day after day, regretting them, but doing nothing about them. Thinking we’ll get to it one of these days. And what we’re not conscious of is that those messes really do impact our minds, our bodies and our feelings.
Well, I’m here to tell you today is the day to do something about any mess you have. Go ahead, find that mess and get busy cleaning it up, tossing out what is trash, putting aside those things that can be given away or donated and then keeping those items you really want to keep. In the Marie Kondo fashion, discover the life-changing magic of tidying up. If it doesn’t bring you joy, give it away or throw it away.
While some think it’s fun to diss Marie Kondo, and I believe even she’s stepped back from her obsession for organization, it is still almost a spiritual practice to clean up physical messes because in so doing it also gives our minds a whole lot of space we didn’t know we needed.
For example, I have a beautiful home office with built-in book shelves. Whenever I’m on video calls I often am asked about my background image, that it looks like one they’d like to use or have. When I tell them it’s actually my office, some are skeptical - it really is that nice.
However, with all the books and artifacts I have in that bookcase, along with all the new stuff I try to add to it, it can get overwhelming and completely out of hand, which is how it was this morning. So I grabbed a trash bag and started tossing all the materials no longer needed, including old notebooks, files, printed materials I have digitized and stuff I no longer use and will never use again. Then I was able to take the books and materials I love and want to keep and found better, more appropriate spaces for them. Including family photos and artwork.
I know, I know, you’ll probably laugh here, but I honestly feel lighter and so much better having gotten rid of all that stuff. My shelves are much more manageable, things are in their proper places and I now have space for new stuff, more relevant to what I’m doing today.
Ah, it FEELS SO GOOD! And it brings me joy. Thank you, Marie Kondo!
(Now go clean up that mess that’s been bothering you. And let me know how it worked for you.)
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