Your Best Life

The reason why most people’s want to clear their clutter can be captured in one phrase.

They want to clear their clutter so they can live their Best Life.

Yes, it will be great when we are not surrounded by our ‘stuff’. Yes, it will be lovely when we are not feeling overwhelmed, have more space, can do the things we want to do. Ultimately, whatever your reason for wanting to clear your clutter, it’s all about living whatever YOU define as your Best Life, and that’s unique to you.

Yet for many of us, it’s hard to imagine and define how we want our Best Life to be. We’ve spent so much of our lives living with our clutter that even though we know we’re not living our best life because of it, at least it’s a safe and familiar life to live. We’re afraid to even think about what our Best Life might be because that involves change that feels unsafe, unfamiliar and unknown. So we continue to allow our gremlins to sabotage our success. As a result, it makes sense that we might struggle – or even avoid – imagining and thinking about what our Best Life will be like.

If you are struggling to imagine your Best Life when you are Clutter Free because of fear, resistance, or your sabotage gremlins, here are 5 steps to help you get started.

Step 1

List your Negative Experiences

In a notebook create two columns. In the left-hand column write a list of all the negative experiences you’ve had as a direct result of having your clutter. For example, you have:

• had to buy things multiple times because you cannot find the one you’ve got SOMEWHERE in your clutter
• cancelled a holiday abroad – or not even considered a holiday abroad – because you’ve lost your passport and it would take too long to get a replacement for the one you know you’ve got SOMEWHERE in your clutter.
• had the same arguments with friends or family about your clutter and why you haven’t cleared it
• experienced fears and anxiety that someone or an authority is going to force you to get rid of your clutter, or give you a deadline to deal with it by.

Spend 10 minutes listing every negative experience you’ve had. Use your LIFE Timeline to help you.

Step 2

Positive Opposite

In the right-hand column, next to each experience you have listed, write what the positive opposite experience would be. I know this can be difficult. Humans have a natural negative bias where we focus on the negatives. Just sit quietly and allow your brain to think, then in the right-hand column, write what the positive opposite would be.

My first ever client described how, when she asked her husband to get a tin of something from the garage cupboard where the tins were kept, it would always end in an argument because he could never see the tins amongst all the clutter, so she would end up going in there herself and rummaging around. I did wonder why she kept asking him to get a tin of something from the garage if she knew what was going to happen, but that was a separate issue…. (!)

When I asked her what the positive opposite would be, when she was clutter free, when she asked her husband to get a tin of something from the garage cupboard. She replied ‘he’ll just get the tin from the garage cupboard, put it down on the counter next to me, and all I’ll say is ‘thank you darling’. A definite positive opposite, and much less likely to lead to the divorce courts.

Step 3

Focus on the Future

Add things to this positive opposite list that you’ve always wanted to be able to do, but can’t because of your clutter. Think of things that your friends or family have done or do, that you’d quite like to try. Places you’d quite like to visit. Perhaps volunteering you’d like to do but haven’t because you’ve always felt you had to do some decluttering. Ask yourself 10 questions to help you think of things to include as part of your Best Life:

1. Why do you want to clear your clutter now, given how long you’ve had your clutter challenge?
2. How would your life look if you didn’t have your clutter? What do you want to be able to do (or do more of) that you can’t do now because of your clutter?
3. What is most important to you in your life? What are you passionate about?
4. What do you enjoy doing and want to do more of?
5. What does a clutter free life look like to YOU? What will I see you doing in your home, either on your own or with others, that you’re not doing or can’t do now because of the clutter?
6. What does a clutter free life feel like to YOU? Happier? Safer? More relaxed? Calmer?
7. What does a clutter free life sound like to YOU? What will you be saying or hearing?
8. Which other areas of your life will improve as a direct result of you clearing your clutter? E.g. finances, your physical or mental health, your relationships with friends, family and the community, your relationship with your significant other, a specific project or challenge you’ve always wanted to do e.g. travel, being able to move / downsize.
9. What’s the best thing that could happen as a result of you clearing your clutter?
10. What could you imagine doing if you knew you could successfully clear your clutter?

Step 4

Motivation

Allow your list to build over the coming days, weeks and months. If you decide something on the list is something that you definitely want as part of your Best Life, add it to your motivational mood board and/or turn it into a daily affirmation to help you get motivated and focused on your Best Life. Add each item on the list to the appropriate line of your LIFE Timeline for when you reach your Clutter Free Goal.

Step 5

Motivation

Do your Wheel of Life Review at the end of every term so you remain focused on your Best Life goal. Add specific actions to your Weekly Planner every week to work towards it. Ultimately, you’ll only create your Best Life if you take regular ACTION to turn it into a reality.

You can clear your clutter fast, or you can clear your clutter forever, but you can’t clear your clutter forever, fast.

If you NEED to clear your clutter and you’re ready to accept that you can’t clear it forever FAST, click on this link and visit my Help Centre to find out how I can help you get started. https://www.clutterclearing.net/clares-help-centre/