How to Function Better by Cleaning Your Life

I just got off the phone with my dentist’s office.

I called them because I got a strange bill in the mail that made it seem like they owed me $5.

It turns out I owed them $220.

Although this was annoying, as I hung up the phone, I still felt a sense of relief. Money aside, I felt good.

Why?

For the same reason that I spent all day yesterday taking care of things around the house. Even though I don’t particularly enjoy housework. (No, this is not an article about self-discipline, you'll find that one by clicking here.)

Yesterday I fixed two of our toilets. Adjusted our loose faucet handles. Changed all our busted light bulbs. Cleaned the cats’ litter boxes. Got more cat food. Did the dishes. Did the laundry. Went to the post office. And went grocery shopping.

And though none of those tasks were particularly fun for me to do – I felt an incredible sense of relief afterward.

Why? Because I’d cleaned out my clutter.

Improve your progress by removing distractions.

Setting aside the time to finish all these tasks has freed up tons of time for me.

Now when I think about tomorrow or next week, there are very few things on my to-do list, and even fewer things that I “should get done” nagging me in the back of my mind.

I am free to put my focus and energy on whatever it is I want. In both work and play.

Clearing out your clutter every now and then is an incredibly valuable thing to do for yourself.

Since there is, of course, no way we can be on top of everything all the time – things tend to pile up for us.

Just take a moment right now to think about all those things you “should” get done. The little things that every now and then pop into your mind.

Do you punish yourself for not having done them by feeling bad for a moment?

Do you let them distract you from the important things in your life?

Or do you get so comfortable with them that eventually your life is chaotic and you end up putting out one fire after the other just to keep up?

My suggestion is that you set aside time to clear out all of your clutter once every couple of weeks at least.

It’s not going to stay clear. It’s only going to be a matter of days before things start building up again. But doing this regularly achieves two wonderful things:

1. You get a little bit of a breathing room for a few days, where you’re going to feel like you have more time and energy on your hands than you’ve had in a long time.

2. You make it a habit to prove to yourself that you are in control of your life. This tends to increase people’s trust in themselves, their confidence and their overall well-being.

So..

What is the clutter that you’re going to clean? A difficult conversation? Finally finish your course? Chores around the house? Paying your bills? Doing your taxes? Getting that thing fixed? Structuring your office or desk? What?

I recommend you get to it. As soon as possible. Because the instant implementation technique will help make sure you succeed.

It’s worth making a big effort one day for the benefits you’ll reap for the many days or weeks that follow.