Clearing Out the Old

Jan 19, 2016

One of the most liberating of things is to declutter. Not to say it’s always easy, but the effort is certainly worth it. Building on the wisdom of Late Winter in last week’s post, some of the tasks that are relevant are to begin to put a plan into place and to let go of the old. In a coach training course I took last year, the very first thing our teacher insisted on was to declutter our work space. His premise was that the energetic impact of clutter inhibits flow and blocks new ideas and inspired actions. Ok. I get that AND sometimes I forget. We all need reminders at times, right? I certainly do.

In paying attention to what energizes and what de-energizes me over these past weeks, I noticed that being in my office sucked. Literally. Like a vampire-ish suck on my energy level each time I was near my desk. No wonder. It was jammed with piles, dusty, gross with “to file” items and that wasn’t including the two file cabinets on either side of where I sit. Those file cabinets were packed. In reading author Marie Kondo’s book, “the life changing magic of tidying up”, one of her suggestions is to go on a tidying marathon. The rationale is that if we put things in order in one fell swoop, there’s a better chance of maintaining that space as it feels so much better. So, that’s what I did. It felt like a marathon and I wanted to digress many times. Thank goodness discipline is actually a fairly high value of mine. I dusted that value off and put it to work. I also called on help from my father from the other side. He ran marathons when he was alive. Two full days later, my desk is now clean and clear. Thanks Dad.

Another of Ms. Kondo’s suggestions is to pile all of our items onto a heap and ask, “Do I love this?” Just to see the pile of books amassed was amazing. The process worked. I cleared out a large box and an oversized clothes basket worth of books. My office book shelves are less than half as full as they were. Same for the file cabinets. Talk about liberation! Even better, I have gifted forward hundreds of dollars worth of books in the process, simply allowing friends and family to take what they wanted. I simply asked that when they are done, they gift the books forward or donate to their local library.

What’s left? Deep gratitude for the classes I’ve taken over these past years, the amazing teachers and the training materials I no longer need. They’ve been integrated into my work. What else? Deep gratitude for the wonderful books which have expanded my perspective, shifted my mindset and so much more. I am happy to share them.

What are you willing to make room for? Don’t delay. The infusion of energy and freedom are well worth the effort.