Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [5]
Begin by seeing. Notice when you notice something that is either very wrong or very right in your life—and pay particular attention to what you do next after you have that realization. Does it help to decrease the wrongness and increase the rightness?
Getting depressed over something that’s wrong doesn’t help. Telling yourself, “This one right thing doesn’t count because not everything is right,” doesn’t help. At minimum, acknowledge the observation, “This is not ideal” or “That’s what I like!” The more you do this, the more you teach yourself to see your world. The more you see your world, the better prepared you are to make choices that will affect it. Those things that feel least like your ideal day can be a project for improvement, while those that are most like it can be a project for preservation and expansion.
Begin by relaxing. Changing things for the better does not have to be a battle. You do not need to take on your toughest challenges first thing. Quite the contrary, progress on the easy stuff will fuel your strength for bigger changes. You do not have to make every change perfectly. It’s better to get moving in any direction—even the wrong one—and improve your trajectory as you go rather than stagnate and never start.
Begin by beginning. There is tremendous power in having a space where you can relax and not be crowded by random junk. That island of sanity can be your first goal and, soon, your touchstone for the kind of life you want to be living. Start your creation of this space in stillness at your favorite time of day. Turn off the TV and the radio. If you’re at work, close the door to your office or put your chair—with a “BUSY!” sign on it—in the opening of your cubicle.
If you share your home, include the other residents in the project or get them out of your way. Set down whatever you're holding. Walk through your house or office looking not at the clutter but at the spaces, at the light. See through the contents to the place. Is there a view through a window that you particularly like? A special spot where the sunlight makes patterns and warmth? A quiet corner or a central place in the action that you love?
We're not talking about remodeling, so begin with the bones and breath of your existing space. Find the place that matters most or works best for you and begin with that. Getting the clutter and chaos out of your life is hard; you deserve a reward right up front. Having somewhere pleasing in which to sit and think is that first reward.
Now, if it makes you feel good and nurtured, get yourself something to drink—a cup of good tea, fresh juice, hot cocoa, a mug of coffee, or whatever pleases your senses of smell and taste—and put on some of your favorite music to please your ears.
Look at your chosen space. What is keeping you from enjoying it to the fullest right now? Maybe the right furniture isn't there. If it's going to be your reading nook and there's no chair and no good lamp and no handy spot to set down that cup of tea, that's got to change. If it's going to be your writing space and there's a TV or a file cabinet where your desk ought to be, that won't do at all. Maybe the furniture is there, but other furniture, knickknacks, magazines, and flotsam crowds it. In any case, some things almost certainly have to change. Begin with a few small steps and not necessarily by moving furniture. You might want to take a quick picture as reminder of your progress later.
Bring over a trash can and a recycling bin. Get yourself two boxes. Label the first box Better Place. Put in any items currently in your chosen space that belong somewhere else. Label the second box Keep? and place into this box anything you’re not sure you want anymore. Make a quick sweep to eliminate things that don’t belong here, discarding into trash and recycling or