How to Remove Excess to Focus on What Matters Most
Less is the new more
Life is finite
Everyone has 24 hours in a day. Some of us work a 9 to 5, build a side hustle, and find the time to sleep and exercise. Others are continuously trying to juggle things and running on fumes.
Focus.
The ones who succeed focus on what matters the most while the others have an assortment of clutter.
Knowingly and mostly unknowingly or due to sheer lethargy, many of us accumulate all kinds of clutter from childhood. This accumulation is gradual.
By the time, you hit middle age, this clutter has substantially invaded your life and slowed you down without your knowledge.
Clutter poses as a major distraction. Our attention is spread thin and rarely a worthwhile progress is achieved.
Declutter your Life, Work, and Finances
(1) Identify the energy-takers
In my opinion, everything has a shelf life including relationships. If they become stale, you have to disentangle from them.
Think of that aunt who comes visiting and you can’t wait for her to leave. It could be a friend too who is excruciatingly painful to have around.
These are energy-takers.
People, who do not help you grow, or make too many demands of you; are cluttering your life for attention that can be spent better elsewhere.
The way out is to dislodge such relationships.
(2) Physical spaces impact mental health
Keep your surroundings and physical spaces sparkling.
I wanted to buy a new chest of drawers to store my stuff. My better half gently suggested I inventory my cupboard with an open mind to know if one chest of drawers would suffice or if we should buy two.
The clutter I had amassed was shocking!
Things I have not used in ages or forgotten they even existed. I gave away bags full of old clothing, towels, bed sheets, and pillowcases, even duvets.
My cupboard has substantial free space. I am wondering if I should click the Amazon app to fill it up. (Just wondering, not following through)
Clean spaces enable energy to flow smoothly and keep us calm.
(3) Optimize your work life
I have lists. To-do, to-not-do, important tasks, super urgent ones, planned projects or tasks, repeated chores. You name it.
Planning is not everyone’s strong suit and so is the ability to estimate. When you are unable to complete all of them, it creates unwanted stress.
You can only do so much in a day.
One of the reasons for my endless lists is the delusion that I can do ’n’ things on an average day. I can’t.
I can manage 1 important activity and 3–4 routine maintenance tasks.
A completed task is better than 3 scrambled and half-done.
Now, I have a to-do, must-do, want-to-do list.
My output is way better than before and there are fewer instances of missed targets. Because the number of items on the list is less.
(4) Streamline your finances
My initial financial management strategy was to invest and forget. Over the years, I have changed it.
Now I have a detailed sheet of my income, expenses, and investments.
Every quarter, I review my debt status, the change in my fund position, performance of my investments.
Using the data, I analyze the following:
- If I can cut down some expenses,
- move out of investments giving low returns,
- invest in something new that is promising and secure,
If you are in your 35–45, you will be surprised to see how much of such clutter you might have accumulated.
What happens when you declutter certain areas of your lives
- Reduced stress and anxiety.
Cluttered spaces and schedules can contribute to feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Decluttering helps create a calmer environment.
2. Improved focus and productivity.
Decluttering eliminates distractions, allowing us to concentrate better on important tasks and goals. It enables working and living more intentionally and efficiently.
3. Happiness and satisfaction.
Letting go of unused possessions and obligations creates space for what matters. This leads to greater contentment and fulfillment. Everything has a lifespan and a purpose. Once that’s over, it is time to part ways.
4. Superior health and well-being.
This is simple biology 101. Cluttered homes harbor dust and allergens. Decluttering facilitates cleaning and creates a more hygienic space.
The same applies to our minds too. Mentally decluttering improves psychological health.
5. Jacked-up motivation.
The process of decluttering generates momentum to make other positive changes. The benefits attained encourage us to make further improvements such as adopting healthier habits.
Declutter to focus
Our goals and objectives, key result areas, focus — everything keeps changing with age and circumstances in life.
Things that you have accumulated over the years lose their purpose with the changing scenario.
The best action plan is to periodically declutter your life — physically and mentally.
It will help
reduce stress,
improve productivity,
increase happiness,
support health, and
build motivation.
The mental and physical spaces in life are finite. There is only so much you can hold and manage. By clearing away excess, it will free up the resources to focus on what is truly meaningful and important in your life.
Decluttering takes time and might feel a burden but with time and routine practice you will see the benefits outperform justify the efforts.
Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor, it’s anything that is between you and the life you want to be living.
~ Peter Walsh
Ipshita Guha is an ambivert. She aspires to be a ghostwriter for solopreneurs, SMB owners, C-suite, and corporate executives. She hopes to vicariously live the second half of her life through those exciting lives. She also writes about Refining Mindset and other stuff on Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter, and her website.
