Declutter your life

There is just too much “stuff”. Around us. Inside us. We see items of value but hidden amongst them are items that have served their purpose. We want to get rid of them, but we hang on to them for some inexplicable reason. This leads us to accumulate a whole lot of clutter in our lives.

Clutter is of two types – one within and one outside.

Clutter within

The one within is made up of our thoughts. Prolonged thinking about something leads us to develop certain images concerning the object of our thoughts. These images when viewed repeatedly through the eyes of our mind cause us to act in a way that is congruent with our thoughts. When we act in such a manner, we end up creating what we have been visualizing. This is an in-a-nutshell version of a lot of self-help books/ videos doing the rounds these days.

Upon careful examination, we can see how this holds for the clutter in our minds. This is the very reason for the clutter in our minds. Consider this: we set an ambitious goal for ourselves. Say, losing weight. We start with a good amount of motivation. We dedicate ourselves to a fitness routine. We even eat well for a few days. However, the mirror tells no different story when we look into it after just a few days. Here, our mental image and what we are seeing with our eyes differ. We make a choice (a rational one, in fact) to believe the image we see through our own eyes. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the beginning of clutter inside us.

The clutter inside can be anything. It can be a thought that is preventing you from living up to your potential. It can be the cycle of toxicity preventing you from living up to your potential. It can be any fear that sends you down into a spiral toward degradation. Unnecessary thoughts preventing you from taking action, fear of what others will think about you, and concerns about our image when it doesn’t really matter are all examples of clutter in our minds.

The clutter outside

Look at your home, your wardrobe, and your work desk. Look in your kitchen, your bathroom. Look at all the spaces you occupy for some part of your day or your week. Look carefully and list down all the items that are present in these spaces. Once you have done so, ask yourself: How many of these items can I do without?

The point being made is simple. If there is anything that is no longer serving our purpose, why are we still hanging on to it? Mind you, this applies to non-living things only.

It is natural for us human beings to attach an emotional value to objects. We tend to feel a sense of ownership towards that which we have. At the same time, we find reasons to replace the old with the new. We may have a perfectly good pair of shoes, yet, we will find reasons to buy a new one simply because we are so used to seeing the old one. An old notebook may still have a few pages in it, yet we will go ahead and buy a new one. Similarly, there are a lot of examples of the same.

Inside or outside: Chicken vs. egg

There is a school of thought that believes that it is the clutter inside our brain that leads us to accumulate clutter in our physical surroundings. That the clutter in our homes is a direct result of the clutter in our minds. It stands to reason that if we are not able to develop a clarity of thought with respect to the spaces that we occupy, then we cannot distinguish between what we want and what we need. This demarcation of thought will lead us to accumulate items even when we do not need them.

On the other end of the spectrum is the school of thought that believes that the clutter of the mind is a direct result of the clutter in our surroundings. For instance, if we live in a small surrounding and if we have loads of items occupying the sparse surroundings, then we are bound to feel agitated ever-so-slightly. This will directly impact our mental well-being by filling our minds with thoughts of congestion, of lack-of-space. This will overwhelm us and lead to feel a lack of control in our lives.

Safe removal of clutter

Whichever causes the other, one thing is simple for sure. That the power to declutter lies with us. That it is our prerogative, and ours alone, to de-toxify ourselves from the clutter that we have. Whichever aspect you want to detoxify first, whichever is easy, take that approach and get started on it!

There is a very simple way to declutter our minds. Just focus on one thing at a time! That’s it! Our mental clutter is a result of doing too many things, thinking too many things, or being in too many places all at once. Once we let go of this need to be omnipresent, we start to declutter. This may sound easy but it is not. Forcing the human brain to do only one activity at a time requires immense training of the mind. However, it is achievable. We all have limited time per day. Hence, restricting ourselves to doing just a few things at a time ensures that we declutter at least a part of our brain.

In a similar fashion, there is a simple way to remove the clutter in our surroundings too. Look at all the items that you have not used for the last 6 months, 8 months, or for about a year. Ask yourself that if you haven’t used those items for the aforementioned period, then what are the chances that you will continue using them? Then, ask yourself if you are going to use those items in the next three months. Your answers will make letting go of stuff easier. You can considering donating your stuff, so that you feel good about letting go.

What are some of the strategies that you will use to declutter? Have you undertaken any exercise recently to detoxify material wise? Please write to me and let me know your thoughts.

(All the images used in this article are generated by one of the many AI-based image generators present online. The writer takes no credit of the same. If you think this image belongs to you, please send us a mail for giving due credits)