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The dictionary definition of clutter is “a crowded or confused mass or collection”. When you’re a creative clutter can be paralyzing and prevent you from being and doing your best work. There is no doubt that when you are surrounded by visual and physical clutter it has a direct correlation to what is going on in your mind.
Remove the clutter and your mind becomes free! Living a clutter free life can expand life’s possibilities for you to receive more.
I find that many creatives have a “perfectionist syndrome” that goes hand in hand with “clutter syndrome”.
If you hate clutter and are seeking balance in your life, first start by recognizing you may be perfectionist. This is not a bad thing, I view this as gift.
As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, I tend to organize everything in my life; objects, supplies, closets and sewing rooms. I am in my element when I can “find a home” for every item.
A simple helpful tool I use to control my clutter is making lists; a natural extension for perfectionists who desire to be organized, focused and happy.
Yes, happiness can be a by-product of List Making. There is a sense of peace and calm when you can take your physical and visual clutter and organize it in it’s proper place. List Making is a great tool to clear the clutter in your mind and help you focus on what’s important to you, your life or your business.
Thanks to my Mom, who was a talented creative and an avid list maker, she had shopping lists, to-do lists, sewing supply lists and you get the idea….lists for almost every aspect of life. Once I saw that lists were a lifesaver for my mother, I began the same habit and continue the “skill” today. Lists keep me sane in a very noisy world.
List Making can take our random thoughts out of our head and write them down on paper to refer to them throughout the day and gauge our progress. Once a list was created, I could begin to check off the tasks that were completed and when everything was checked off I could toss the list. It almost became a daily game to see how fast I could check off the list and celebrate the accomplishment.
It can get messy if you’re not careful, keeping all these lists on notepads or scraps of paper can contribute to massive desk clutter! Today, thanks to technology and my iPhone, I can make my lists using an app or on my computer using a variety of online systems. This has been my second lifesaver!
As a proclaimed perfectionist I LOVE writing stuff down and using systems to organize my thoughts, but now I can save tons of time and mental energy in the process.
The moral of the story is to get the clutter out of your head, off your desk, find clarity and embrace the calm so you are able to “receive” more ideas that can be processed into a business or product.
Here are just a few of the online tools and apps I have used to stay organized, focused and productive:
