This past week I decided that my life is too cluttered. From the amount of stuff I have around my home all the way to how many apps I have on the cell phone and everything in between. I decided my first task would be to clean up my "phone time" and stop aimlessly scrolling on Facebook when I need to "kill time" or just need a few minutes to myself to chill. When in reality screen time is not relaxing, it contributes to your "fight or flight" response. No, I have no research to back up this claim. I just know that for myself and a few other people I have spoken to that the less screen time they have the less stressed and overreact/ get triggered less.
So instead of scrolling on Facebook I started using my time a little more wisely and decided to start "scheduling" my Facebook time. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but this way I can still go on and post my blog, connect with friends and family but not spend so much time that I end up aimlessly scrolling. It's all about moderation.
The first few days were great and I accomplished a lot. It went a little downhill though when I replaced 20 minutes of scrolling with an episode of a TV show on Netflix. Netflix is not bad either though, but this was not the point of the exercise. That being said, I watch very little V.
Anyways, before I got distracted though I was making good progress, and of course we all know that growth is not linear, there will be up and downs, so I am not going to be hard on myself, simply learning as I go.
The next area that I wanted to start decluttering was my phone, so I looked through all my apps, notes in my memo pad, and my gallery (mainly my screenshot album) and started cleaning out all the things I no longer need, use or want. I was pleasantly surprised by how much stuff I had on my phone that I no longer needed.
After that, I wanted to tackle my purse, which took just a few minutes though because I regularly clean it out. I would like to clean out my wallet as well and see how many cards I have that I have no need for or use.
I have started making mental notes of all the "stuff" that we have in our home and how once we move in the new year I want to decorate our new apartment and anything that does not find a home gets donated or sold instead of simply putting it into storage with the mindset that "someday I will use that." No, I am not a hoarder, we simply have lived in small spaces since day one and thus never have the room to use all the things that have been lovingly gifted to us or we have purchased over the years and I am now ready to make decisions about the items that have been sitting in storage for years. We are hoping for a bigger apartment for the new year and are just waiting to hear back from the company, so with a bigger place, we can decorate with more things and thus figure out what stuff is in storage we want to keep. I am also tired of dusting and maintaining all the things we have on display currently, but I want to see how they will fit in our new home.
I have read that mental clutter is a result of physical clutter. There are lots of quotes on the internet that state that sentence with more eloquence and sound more poetic, but the meaning stays the same. The more stuff, the more stress. At least that is how I am feeling these days. I am tired of having to schedule a time to clean and tidy my home when I would rather be reading a book or spending time with my family. Do not get me wrong though, our home is clean and tidy, but I suspect with less stuff it will take less time to keep clean. I once heard someone say that their goal was to have 80% of their home clean 80% of the time. I love this idea and want to start implementing it. You see, I am an all-or-nothing kind of person. If the dishes are not done but the counter, table, and floor are clean, the kitchen is still not clean. If the bathtub is not scrubbed, but the rest of the bathroom is clean, it is still not cleaned in my book. So not only am I going to reduce the amount of stuff I have I also want to start giving myself more grace if my home is not 100% spotless 100% of the time.
This next part is my favorite. I am excited to clean out my closet. Said no women ever right? I have started making a mental list and now a partial physical pile of clothing that I either no longer like or simply never wear. I am going through my closet with the Marie Kondo method and weeding out the clothing that I no longer love and blessing others with it. The part that makes me excited about this part of my cleaning is because I am going, to be honest with myself and decide what clothing items bring me joy and confidence versus what I think other people want to see me wear or expect me to wear or clothing I am wearing trying to be someone else. No, clothing does not define a person, but it does tell the world around you and yourself who you are.
The final step in my declutter, or at least for now, is my daily schedule and routine. For about a week I have been waking up early every morning about thirty minutes before I have to get up. A couple of mornings I went back to sleep and a couple of mornings I simply got up. I did not give much thought to my new wake times at first until one evening Blessing and I were out for our evening walk and was processing my daily schedule and praying through my frustration about my daily routine. During my prayer, I told God that I am tired of how my evenings run and how at best I have thirty minutes to myself before showing and climbing into bed. God then told me to get up at 4:30 am instead of 5 am and then explained what tasks that are normally in the evening or sometimes get skipped all together can be done in the mornings. I instantly felt relief and excitement to alter my routine in the coming days to alter my morning and evening routine giving me more downtown for both myself and my family. There are still lots of tweaking to do, but it is a start. It is funny how a few days ago I was a little annoyed because I wept waking up early, now I know God had a plan all along. God was simply preparing the way and then prepared me for it.
I find it funny though that I have spent just over a week doing a lot of mental work in prep for this declutter, and yet only now, a week later I have finally found the time to write in my journal at 7 am on a Saturday, in my kitchen while a batch of cookies baking in the oven. Yes, you read that right. I am up and baking at 7 am on a Saturday. Actually, I was up at 4:30 this morning, got myself ready for the day, and then headed to the kitchen at 6 am to start baking cookies for all the family gatherings to attend over the next few weeks. I feel a little like Betty Crocker at the moment. In my kitchen at 6 am with my hair and makeup done for the day and dressed for this evening's activities while baking in prep for it.
I pray friends that as we navigate through this busy time of year we can all take an inventory of our time, energy, "stuff", and resources and see if it does not only represent who we are but more importantly who God is and what He has done for us. I once saw a quote that said, "If you are too busy to pray, you are busier than God intended." Not exactly what we are talking about today, but if you spend all your time dusting your knickknacks and leave little to no time to spend with God, then it's kind of the same thing. We have too much stuff friends.
I pray this post blesses and encourages you where ever it finds you today.
God Bless
~Ruth
Today's picture was taken when my hubby and I first got our camera a couple years ago. Taken down the road from my now late grandparent's cottage. This picture depicts a beautiful open field and open space and that is what I am working on making in my home and life. Open space and time.
When I took this picture I gave very little though to it, we were simply walking down the road to the cemetery to visit the gave of some of my relatives. In fact the light and quality of this picture is not what I would choose today, which just goes to show my growth as a photographer, but more importantly it is no longer a "poor quality picture", it is a memory of the home and life that my grandparents build and a reminder to not take anything for granted.
