I have been working on a personal project of de-cluttering which involves organizing and structuring my TIME for both work and play. It is about time managment on the one hand but also about noticing what distractions and interruptions pop in to clutter my plans. So I am writing everything I want to do in my new Franklin planner and paying more attention to what I want to happen with my day and what actually does happen.

One of the questions that came up for me is “Does every thing actually have a Purpose?” Instead of dealing with guilt and regret because I took a nap and didn’t get the laundry done Saturday or feeling aggravated that I had to spend an extra hour on my computer trying to correct some problems - I am realizing that both the ‘nap’ and the ‘computer maintenance’ had a true purpose. It wasn’t that I didn’t want these in my life but rather that I was having trouble making room for them in my time schedule.

So what I am experimenting with now is a trick that not only works for handling household clutter but also mental or emotional clutter or even ‘time clutter’!

You might call it a reality check - it seems to be true that there is only so much space in our house and likewise only so many hours in our days. So if something comes along to distract or disrupt the usual plan then my question becomes “What is it’s purpose?” If I really do need a rest then the nap has a very valid purpose and I will gladly rearrange my work flow and time structure to allow for it. If on the other hand, I am avoiding doing something else from a place of resistance, and can clearly see that the ‘purpose’ is sabotage then I can excuse the notion of the nap and move on to something else on my list.

So you can see how this de-cluttering in your environment can carry over into many areas by simply asking the question - what is the purpose? Do I use it or love it? becomes Does it nurture me or serve a bigger goal? If not, toss it out, recycle or delegate it!

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