NEW Update Available: Streamline Your Messy, Cluttered Life With These 6 Actions
If you’re not in the midst of a dramatic and sudden change in your life, you are likely experiencing the incremental changes that normal life presents to us all.
For the most part, life ticks along at a steady pace, continuing to unravel incrementally, one moment at a time. From the day we are born, we are changing cognitively and biologically. We unconsciously adapt to these changes as they slowly unfold. Sometimes however, we get stuck in old versions of ourselves holding on to past beliefs and our rules of how things should be, while the younger generations lead a progressively different life.
The human world changes much faster than the natural world (natural disasters being the exception). Humanity’s desire to change this, and upgrade that, is rapid and at times overwhelming. The industrial age and the age of technology has occurred within the blink of an eye in terms of the relatively short history of human existence.
When sudden events occur, we find our eyes wide open, startled into action and having to immediately deal with it with immediacy. We fight it, flee from it, resist it or accept and adapt to it.
Looking at old photographs of ourselves, we objectively see the now defunct fashion of our clothing, appearance and even the quality of the photograph itself, forgetting how relevant and current it was at that time.
To become aware of the changes we have been through and are going through, occasional reflection and decluttering is key, before another decade slips by.
UPDATE Your Possessions, Beliefs, Attitudes and Behaviours and Declutter those No Longer Relevant
When I am looking to change my attitudes, behaviours and physical appearance, I will choose and question a physical possession or an opinion I currently hold:
Let go of the bulky, clumsy and messy things in your life to maintain a level of freedom.
Does this approach/possession still serve me well?
Adopt practices that will improve your day-to-day efficiency and wellbeing, and let go of what slows you down or holds you back.
What new approach/possession would serve me even better?
Change the expired items and opinions that no longer suit a modern world.
Is my viewpoint/possession outdated?
Keep up with, and learn, new methods and skills.
What has changed in the world and am I still current?
Recognise your physical changes and changes of opinions and live as your current self, rather than reliving your past.
What has changed about me?
Stay informed about current society; it’s advances, breakthroughs and challenges, but ensure your sources are reliable, impartial and unbiased.
What do I consciously consume that informs me of accurate and factual accounts of modern times?
That’s a lot to deal with at once when you are suddenly awoken to a decade or more of your life passing. It can be depressing to think about all the things you need to update in order to feel relevant in the context of modern society. You can make it easier!
I use the following methods of self-reflection often as they are universal and not bound by the passing of time.
I often meditate with a pen and sheet of paper (or my laptop or notes app on my phone) and start writing all that is on my mind and my place within the world.
When I’m conscious of what outdated possessions or beliefs that need to let go of, I can take action. I list what I would like to personally change under the following categories:
Physical:
Stuff I use
Stuff I don’t use
Pleasurable or Practical Stuff I love that ranks more than a 6 out of 10
Stuff I don’t love that ranks less than a 7 out of 10.
Mental:
Beliefs that work positively for me
Beliefs that are negative
Beliefs that are modern
Beliefs that are outdated.
3. I then make a list of what I need to do and break it down into small, manageable actions that can be completed within 5 minutes to a few hours. I focus on the single, most important item on the list and see it through to its end. I start with my outcome in mind and write each step backwards until I reach my initial action to take.
4. Daily, I will exercise and get my body moving. Often, exercise bring about self-reflection as an unconscious process. It’s a good way to contemplate thoughts without formally writing or structuring them.
5. Listening to people from my generation and people from a younger generation reveals what is current and what is potentially helpful for streamlining my own life.
6. Listening to the world around me and noticing the changes as I travel through it keeps me aware of reality, at least in my part of the world. An impartial and unbiased news service fills me in on world events. Choose carefully.
7. I always try to look for the silver linings in life rather than the dark clouds we are often presented with through the news and social media. We do have a choice whether to look for the positive side even amongst the many negatives, despite what “realists” might say.
8. I focus on one thing at a time, as multi-tasking may get me quantity, but rarely does it create quality.
One significant shift in our world, has been the change from physical information to digital information. All your entertainment, learning and lifelong important documentation is now at your fingertips.
Films, books, documentaries, manuals, guides, education, work, documents, creative pursuits, hobbies and finance can be accessed all around the world from your mobile phone, tablet and laptop. There is no longer a need to physically carry them around. With speech recognition, stylus/pens that convert your writing to text, touch screens, plus a camera, audio and video recorder and document scanner all within your grasp, the future of productivity is here, highly functional, and improving even more every single day.
With each step you take to learn something new and relevant, you incrementally keep up with change without being overwhelmed. You may just need to play catch up if you have been neglecting the past decade of significant updates.
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