Simplifying your life can seem like an epic challenge, if you try to do it all at once. Let’s face it – our lives are outrageously complicated, full of stuff, full of clutter, and full of lots that we don’t need. Trying to tackle everything all at once is a recipe for failure – you’ll end up quitting and never making any progress.
Rather than trying everything at once, or even starting with a large project, start small. Think very small. For example, yesterday I was looking at my nightstand. And quite frankly, I was embarassed at the clutter that was filling it. The contents of my nightstand included:
- A lamp
- Alarm clock
- wallet
- bolts
- toilet paper ( for a runny nose )
- ipod charge cable
Even with a very large nightstand, it was filled up with junk that I don’t need to have there. Looking at the items one by one, it was pretty easy to clear this out. My wallet belongs on my desk, next to my computer. The bolts belong in a toolbox. Tissues can go in the top drawer, out of sight, but still accessible. The alarm clock is an outdated relic. With today’s cell phones, there’s no need for an alarm clock. My iPhone has woken me up reliably for the past month. I’ll pass the alarm clock to my son, who has trouble waking up in the morning. With all this cleared off, here’s an “after” pic of my nightstand.
As you can see, only the lamp made it to the “other side.” My iPhone charger does lurk behind the stand, only to be used when I’m nearly out of juice. I charge on the way to work, and at work, so I don’t really need to charge every night. Now, I don’t wake up to a stand full of stuff every morning. Instead, it’s neat, clean, and organized. The best part? It took about 90 seconds to accomplish. Still think getting rid of clutter takes too long?
