What's Stopping You?

You’ve got the symptoms of C.H.A.O.S. (Can’t Handle All the Overload Syndrome)

 Spending too much money and time replacing items lost to clutter
 A cluttered, crowded space – too many possessions and no storage system
 Mountains of paper and no idea what to do with it
 Wasted time hunting for important documents (paper or electronic)
 Late or missed appointments or meetings
 Crunched time schedules, feeling rushed – never enough time
 Spending too much time on low priority items, not aligned with important goals
 Unfinished projects or tasks which keep resurfacing and cause frustration
 The feeling you are constantly working but never accomplishing anything meaningful
 You aren’t enjoying your life!

Don’t believe the myths. . .

Myth #1: Getting organized is too complex and time consuming.
Fact: It doesn’t have to be! Take baby steps. Consistency on even a small scale will give you momentum, motivation, and results. Start right where you are!

Myth #2: If you’re disorganized in one area; you’re disorganized everywhere.
Fact: No one is disorganized everywhere. The trick is to use the skills where
you are organized to apply to the areas where you aren’t.

Myth #3: Being organized will stifle creativity and spontaneity.
Fact: Wrong! Organization increases your self confidence and adds to your worth and value both at work and in your personal life. It helps you deal proactively instead of reactively with people and situations. You are less distracted and therefore able to be more creative.

Myth #4: You can’t get organized unless you have time to do it all at once.
Fact: Organizing even a tiny area of your space, schedule, or priorities can bring immediate and satisfying results. The point is to just get started.

If you feel shame or embarrassment. . .
Reality: Facing your situation and making a decision to change is the first step to breaking the bondage of clutter. Congratulate yourself – don’t beat yourself up!

4 Ways to Recharge Your Motivational Batteries

I received this comment on my blog recently.

"I am trying to become more organized and it is a daily awareness when I see papers piled, dust on the bureau, a messy area. I love to be organized and I love cleanliness...I have gotten lazy about staying on top of staying organized and keep waiting for the spirit to "move me". I am struggling with my energy to get organized and clean my house...which I know supports my life everyday."

Disorganization is more than just piles of stuff without a home. It's an expression of blockage in our lives - physically, mentally, and spiritually. And until we deal with the "why to" we won't ever keep up the energy to "how to." Clutter, whether it is in our homes, on our hips, or in our head is about feelings. It hampers how we feel about ourselves, our jobs, our social lives and our finances.

If you struggle with keeping up the energy to organize and maintain a healthy lifestyle - you're not alone. Life happens when you were making plans to declutter the house, work out 5 days a week and eat clean, nutritious meals 5 or 6 times a day. Suddenly you find yourself back in your rut wondering how you're going to get back on the life fitness horse. Here are 4 ways to re-charge those motivational batteries:

1. Focus on your RBGs (Really Big Goals). Identify what's REALLY important to you and use it to inspire you. Shallow goals won't keep you motivated for very long. What are you passionate about that you need a health, energy, and a fit lifestyle to maintain? Your business? Your family? Write down your RBG's and keep a copy with you to remind you what it's all about for you.

2. Start Doing instead of To Doing. To Do implies "ought to." There's no action behind it. In fact, our natural inertia and rebelliousness often flares up when we contemplate "To Dos." It means you've gone beyond thinking about it, but you aren't ready to take action. You're "fixing to do it", as they say down South. To Do something keeps us from committing to getting it done. Replace the To Do list with a Doing List. The Doing List motivates you to commit to a set of actions that you are taking right now, in the present. And the present is the only moment you have.

3. Do it afraid. We all make mistakes And our fear of making mistakes, which too often manifests as perfectionism and procrastination is teied up with our self-esteem. I know, I've been there. Perfectionism was "protectionism" for me. If I didn't finish a project, I could always say I was still working on it and not take the risk of what the outcome would be. It's sometimes safer not to make a decision, not to remove what's cluttering up our lives - or so our dark side will tell us. Not true! Be process oriented. Trust yourself and decide to decide. Regardless of the course of action you take, you'll be motivated and charged simply by taking that action.

4. Don't go it alone. There's strength in numbers so the saying goes and it is true. Join a mastermind group, hire a coach, or get yourself a clutter or work out buddy. Find a MeetUps Group. When you're tempted to stay on the couch (mentally or physically), you've got someone else to help you recharge your motivation.

Remember - baby steps taken consistently yield transformational results. Don't let fear and overwhelm sap your energy and keep you from living powerfully!

Is Your Clutter Making You Fat?

I don't believe you can take control of your health and well being unless you make the place you dwell a happy, peaceful place. Winston Churchill said, "We shape our dwellings and afterward our dwellings shape us." Good health and a clutter free lifestyle go hand in hand. If you don't respect yourself enough to create a happy space to live, are you really going to treat your body any differently?

Your home is the center of your life. It's a reflection of who you are and how you choose to live. Physical and emotional clutter get in the way of your relationships, your happiness and your health. It's hard to move. It's hard to focus and stay motivated.

One client of mine mentioned how guilty she felt walking past the bookshelves filled with workout DVD's she'd never used and the elliptical machine that was now covered with laundry. (I have NEVER done a major declutter in a home that contained a workout machine that was used regularly.) Another talked about the persistent low level of stress she felt when her home got cluttered. She felt out of control which triggered emotional overeating.

There is a ripple effect (those baby steps that lead to a quantum shift and breakthrough!) that decluttering has on every area of your lfe. Clearing away the stuff helps you clear away the patterns of thought and the behaviors that prevent you from living the way you want.

Is your clutter making you fat? Quite possibly.

The clutter that fills your countertops making it impossible for you to use your kitchen to prepare healthy meals. . .

The clothes you hang on to hoping you'll fit into someday that are stuffed in your closet . . .

The disorganized pantry crammed with unhealthy food . . .

The boxes and boxes of papers and files that you trip over. . .

The guest room so filled with clutter that you can barely open the door. . .

The dining room table you can’t sit down at because the surface is covered with unopened mail. . .

I’m not suggesting that every person who lives in a cluttered space is overweight. But there is always a burden when clutter is present – whether it manifests physically or emotionally – it exists.

When I help people declutter their space, we never start running through tossing stuff into a dumpster. We begin by talking about what matters to them. We focus on the larger vision of what they want their life to look like.

Everything is connected. You’ll never be truly healthy if the majority of your life is cluttered, stressful and overwhelming. You won’t have the energy to pursue exercise and healthy eating. It’s that simple. Think through your body-home relationship and resolve to clean up what’s cluttering them both. Then watch the weight just fall away!