Ready to feel happier? There are some really easy things to declutter from your life that you’re currently doing, or currently have, that are making it difficult to feel content with your day to day – and that has to change. It doesn’t have to be hard either (phew!).
This is a list of 7 things that can help you understand how to declutter your life right now in ways to make a HUGE difference to how you feel about things.
pssst – don’t tell anyone I told you, but there’s an extra bonus one at the end. Yes, it’s decluttering – but not as you know it!!!
So – let’s get started, shall we!…
7 Things To Declutter From your Life Right Now…
1 – Social events & other commitments that don’t make you happy
We all do it – say yes to something and immediately regret it.
Whether it’s because we are already too busy, or whether it’s something we just won’t enjoy – the reason is almost irrelevant.
What’s important is that you can, and should, take them off your schedule.
Don’t force yourself to go out or do things because you think you should – save your energy for that which truly makes you smile.
TIP – Learn to say NO straight away in future. Of course, there are things that we can’t avoid – but for the things where you DO have a choice – one trick is to just say you’ll get back to them as you need to check your diary. This gives you breathing space to check in with yourself as to whether you REALLY want to go or not.
2 – Too many thoughts
One day my husband bought me a book. It was called “Women who think too much“. I think he was trying to tell me something!
Although it was meant as a joke – there’s a lot of truth to be had when it comes to having too much going round in your head.
You can’t relax, and it makes you unhappy.
Usually it’s because you haven’t written things down, or you haven’t let yourself think something through to completion.
It’s the unfinished stuff that takes up brain space.
So – take some time out to clear your head a little each day (journaling is a great idea, or meditation).
This will make everything easier because you will feel free-er, and will sleep better.
TIP – Have a pen by the side of your bed so you can jot things down should you wake up. Then you will be able to go back to sleep much more quickly.
3 – Regrets
You can’t change the past, so there’s really very little point in looking backwards.
You are you because of the life you have had so far, so the very best thing to do now is to look forward and focus on what you want your life to look like from this point on.
So, when you’re thinking how to declutter your life, why not leave the regrets behind – and you’ll feel happier!
TIP – Those that are on their death beds only regret what they DIDN’T do in life – so make a pact with yourself to get your wish list all crossed off asap (see the bonus at the end of this post for more on this!)
4 – Guilt
Any time we can, we find a way to feel guilty about something.
We feel guilty that we aren’t doing enough, that we’re doing too much, that we’re not a great parent/wife/friend, that we aren’t healthy enough, that we watch too much TV – I could go on, and on, and on.
So it’s time to tackle the guilt.
If you find yourself thinking any “I should be doing” thoughts – then ask yourself whether it’s something that would make you happy or not.
If it’s a yes – then just take one step towards doing it and you will feel happier immediately – (for example – if you want to get a job, then start brainstorming what jobs you are qualified for, what you love to do, and where you see yourself in 2 years time – that way you get more focused and it feels more real).
HOWEVER – if you’re feeling guilty about not doing something that you really don’t want to do, then STOP IT!
5 – Any physical item that makes you feel sad or guilty
There are items in most of our homes that don’t bring us joy (to coin a phrase by the lovely Marie Kondo).
These may be things we were given by a family member or friend, or things we inherited.
If there are items that you look at and feel anything but positive about – they shouldn’t be in your home.
Your home is your sacred space – where you come to relax and look after each other – there isn’t room for negativity.
When you declutter things like this from your home, it feels bad at first. You don’t want to let anyone down. But look at it this way: –
Chances are the person that gave you that item doesn’t even notice it anyway. I’ve had several conversations with people before where they forgot they gave me something in my house!
An idea for inherited items is that they can be photographed and kept in an album – so you still have them but not front and centre.
6 – People in your life who make you unhappy to be around.
We are the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time around – so what are you the sum of?
NO – this isn’t as harsh as it sounds. You have to protect yourself from negativity, life really is too short to not spend it with people who make you thrive.
Whether these people are ‘in real life’ friends, or online friends – you want to have people that make you feel great and that you really connect with in your life.
Maybe it’s a case of going out in a group rather than a 1-1 situation, or simply un-friending on Facebook so you don’t see their updates.
7 – Excess tasks you do
We lead busy lives – but sometimes, with a little extra thought and creativity – we could be doing a little less.
For instance, cleaning or taking kids to all their classes / activities.
Look at your routine and weekly schedule and start to declutter what you can.
Think outside the box and free up some time by sharing lifts with other parents, doing a little less in terms of housework, getting paid help etc…
Also check out your TO DO list, does this bring you down when you look at it growing rather than shrinking?
Are there items on there that make you feel guilty because you aren’t doing them?
If they’ve been on there a while chances are they’re not important anyway – so delete them from your life and feel free.
Plus 1 Extra…
Learning how to declutter your life and getting rid of things is something I consider to be a good thing – although many don’t! – and that’s why decluttering can have a negativity towards it.
However – you CAN get rid of things that actually ADD something rather than take something away – and this extra bonus item is just that.
Your bucket list
We all have them.
Things that we would love to do if we had the time / money / etc….
But life is short – and it’s about time some of your wish list got granted.
Why not schedule a couple of things into the next 6 months that you’ve always wanted to do?
Pick things that won’t bankrupt you – you may be surprised at what you actually CAN do when you give yourself permission….
Which of these things to declutter from your life will you let go of first?
1 Events / 2. Thoughts / 3. Regrets / 4. Guilt / 5. Physical Items / 6. People / 7. Excess Tasks.
Getting the things out of your life that make you unhappy means that you’ll automatically feel lighter and more content with your day to day.
and… when you’ve decluttered those and have crossed some of your bucket list off, you’ll have also added some fantastic memories and happiness to your life as well – what could be better than that!
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