Clearing Clutter for the new year

A client recently told us that they couldn’t imagine their life without us which is a fantastic compliment but what were they talking about and what has it got to do with decluttering your house? By now, you have probably cleared away the clutter from Christmas - decorations are back in the box and the paper and cardboard is in the recycling bin. “Out with the old and in with the new” is a saying often heard at this time of year which is traditionally associated with starting new habits.

You might have done a trip to the charity shop with old clothes making space for the new socks and jumpers that generous relatives bestowed upon you or the ones you intend to buy in the January sales.  New clothes, new habits, new goals. A new me.

But how about a radical thought of just ‘out with the old’? Instead of starting new habits, let go of old ones. When we declutter without replacing, we swop the mess and chaos for a sense of calm and space. We often do this with our environments, but do we ever think of doing this with our minds – declutter our minds just as we do our houses?

What is mental clutter?

Mental clutter is old thinking patterns that make our mind feel like it’s on overdrive. All of the unhelpful thoughts that occupy space in our heads taking our focus and energy away from more positive and helpful thinking and action.

What would it be like to let go of these unhelpful habits to clear the way for inspiration and more mental focus?

What mental clutter looks like:

• Mental to do lists
• Negative self-talk
• Social anxiety
• Remorse about previous decisions
• Worries about things outside of our control
• Decisions that need to be made
• Situations to deal with

We know that this mental clutter leads us to feel under pressure, it wastes our time and the mental drain it provokes, prevents us from more productive, positive action. This causes mental exhaustion leading to stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, frustration and depression.

So, what is the answer?

It’s the same principles to decluttering a house – less is more – give away things that take up space in exchange for a more simple life:

• Transfer the thoughts to paper – brain dump
• Identify priorities to focus on – we can’t do everything!
• Use lists, planners and other tools to support you
• Notice when you allow irrelevant information in e.g. mindless scrolling on social media
• Practise mindfulness

Back to our client…

For many of us, it’s not as simple as this though and we need an intentional process to make space to filter through the clutter. Here at Pro Development, we support people every day with this process through 1:1 coaching and as one client said recently, “I have no idea what I did before I had coaching – I don’t want to think about how things would be if I hadn’t had it”, it can truly make a huge difference. To have time in a 1:1 setting to step back from the day-to-day clutter with someone guiding, challenging and supporting you to gain clarity, focus on clear priorities and take positive action is truly remarkable.

We offer coaching as part of our unique 7-month experiential leadership programme (spaces are still available for the next one starting 6^th March) and we find the combination of the workshop days with coaching is transformational.  WE can also offer standalone 1:1 support for anyone who would like time and space to reflect, to work on their business, their leadership, what is holding them back – the mind clutter that prevents forward progression.

Start the new year by clearing out the clutter both in your house and your mind.  Give us a call on 01904 628838 or email info@1245881.eu11.myftpupload.com to chat with us about how we can support you. We may even be able to access funding that contributes 40% towards any investment you make.