Welcome to Day 5 of the Habits Reboot week. If you missed Days 1, 2, 3, and 4, please go back and start there. Today we are digging deeper into creating space by letting go, building upon the work we did yesterday. 60 ways yesterday, and 60 more ways to create space today. PLUS, a special bonus that works like magic at our house.
These ideas are inspired by, and some borrowed from, Courtney Carver, author of Project 333 and Soulful Simplicity. Feel free to modify these to suit your life best as I have for mine.
First up, we’re going to spend a few minutes in our closets.
10 Articles of Clothing
Don’t think too hard on this. Pick out 10 things that don’t fit/never fit/make you feel guilty for whatever reason/are worn out/you never wear/whatever…GOOD BYE. Donate so they can bless others, or trash if they have lived a full life. Even the most spartan of closets has 10 items that can/should go. You can do this!
10 Linens
Those extra towels for just in case, old sheet sets you’re saving for just in case. When was the last time “just in case” happened? Nobody wants musty old linens. Let them go. Check with your local animal shelter to see what/if they will take them. (When I was a volunteer at ours, we took in a lot of that sort of stuff.) Free up space in those drawers and on those shelves. Watch a smile emerge on your face.
Next, go donate that stuff before it sits around and becomes a clutter magnet for more things! GO!
OK, now out of the closet and into our heads. Time to clear some mental space.
10 Ruminations
This one will be more challenging. What are some mental stories you’re spinning on that you can let go of? You know, that stuff that plays on repeat at 3am, around and around. Unresolved issues, old arguments, stories you’re making up and telling yourself when in reality you don’t have all the information, etc. THOSE things.
Are you familiar with the 90-Second Rule? It is an entire post for another day, but in brief our bodies have a 90-second neurochemical cycle with a strong emotion. After that, it is done, so if we hold onto feelings and thoughts beyond that, it is by choice. When I first learned this I about fell off my chair, WOW! Apply that to your 10 Ruminations and see what you can let go of today.
10 Old Goals
Are you clinging to old goals that no longer fit? They’re in the way of the new ones, so it is time to let the old ones go. Take careful inventory of your goals to discover which ones you really want to keep.
TIP – if you’re not sure what all of your old goals may be, go to your to-do list and look for items that have been lingering on it forever and ever. Those goals that look at your everyday, grabbing your attention and a nanosecond of guilt as you yet again leave it on the list. THOSE. Let them go. Another place to look is in your email. Those special starred/flagged/set aside emails – huge clues there.
Speaking of Email and Todo lists…
10 Emails or To-dos
You pick. Since you’re already in both of those places, clean them up! Delete 10 (or 10,000) old emails. Eliminate 10 To-dos, either because you go do them or decide they no longer matter. This is about making space for what really matters in your life.
10 Apps
Finally, go tidy up your phone/ipad/whatever device. Choose 10 apps that you no longer use and say goodbye.
BONUS
Here’s the bonus rule I mentioned at the top…
10 out 1 in rule
Especially great with kids, but this works for all of us. Before we bring a new toy/thing home, we must first get rid of 10 similar items. We did this with Willa when she had waayyyy too many stuffed animals. It worked in two ways:
- She was eager to play the game and part with less meaningful toys so she could get something new. Yay, cleaner room!
- It caused her to pause and consider whether or not she really wanted the new thing, often putting it back on the store shelf, adding it to the “Birthday Wish List” instead.
This rule works like magic for us. A clear space gives kids more room to play with what they actually enjoy most, just like us.
I hope these 60 things sparked your interest and motivation to grow it into 60 more and then 60 more, etc. I have about 6,000 more areas I can hit, almost to the point of paralysis due to overwhelm, but taking things 10 pieces at a time makes it doable and gives it momentum.
How do you feel? Do you feel like you have more space and mental freedom to focus on what really matters to you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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