Reduce Clutter, Enlarge Your Life! – Your Guide to Success and Happiness

Is clutter marring the picture of your life?

How is your life going?
Are you experiencing the freedom that you hoped for?

Many of us are choked by clutter, which is blocking us from the vital actions that can enlarge our life.

Years ago, when I met her, author Barbara Sher told me: “Adults can do what they want because they clean up the messes.”

Now, I ask you:

Are you spending all of your time and energy in cleaning up messes?

The truth is: you need to be skillful about clutter — both physical and mental clutter.

It comes down to realizing:

How much clutter do you have to climb over to get to the vital actions that enlarge your life?

And –

How much mental clutter do you have that prevents you from experiencing happiness?

This is so important to me that I “paused” a number of projects and recorded
a new audiobook Reduce Your Stuff, Enlarge Your Life — Eliminate Physical and Mental Clutter that Blocks Your Success
and Happiness that You Deserve [later I'll tell you how you can get a free copy.]

Find out (below) how to get your free copy of "Reduce Your Stuff, Enlarge Your Life"

Here I will share 3 Big Mistakes and 3 effective Actions. In the audiobook, I introduce the full ENLARGE-LIFE process. (Each letter stands for a method.) Let’s begin:

1. Envision “Go it alone and you go slow.”
The idea that you must handle your clutter only by yourself can be a big mistake! Why? Because we’re all down on the planet for a reason. To help each other. If you have a problem with your car, you see a mechanic – yes?

If I need a book cover designed, I see a graphic artist.

Like you, I could put time into studying something that is not connected to my natural talent, but that would be wasteful. Make sure that you strengthen your strengths.

And when it comes to clutter, you don’t have to deal with it only by yourself.

It can be as simple as telephoning a friend. You both can agree to have a light conversation while you sort some receipts or other paperwork. Your friend could even be talking to you while she is walking on a treadmill at her own home.

Or you could set up a trade of efforts. Your friend could help you sort your packed closet for an hour and then you could make him a nice dinner (or treat him to a movie).

Or you could hire a friend (at an “okay” or “friend-rate” of pay) — or hire a professional to help you.

Now, you may say, “I don’t have extra money to put toward getting someone to help me with clutter.”

Yes, I’ve heard that from people who are still stuck 5 to 10 years later.

Here’s a secret. When I hire someone to help me sort, the work goes 3 times faster. Why? Because money is flowing out while the clock ticks. You bet I’m going to get my money’s worth. By the way, I’ve heard from a number of people: “My sorting is so complicated. No one else can do it for me.”
My response is: “Okay, you do the sorting and hand items to the person for recycle, shred and file.”
Again, when I have someone standing there — I personally move faster. Years ago, I heard someone say, “Clutter is the result of unmade decisions.” I am decisive when I have someone helping me.

There is an old phrase: “Jumping over dollars to pick up dimes.” We need you to concentrate most of your time on high-yield activities related to your strengths.

You see:

you spend time on clutter,
but you invest time in your area of strength and talent.

A writer needs to write. A dancer needs to dance. A painter needs to paint.

Mistake #1: Trying to handle clutter only by yourself.

Action #1: Ask for help; hire help; get a jump start.

2. Ramp up small targets and log (and photograph) your progress.
What’s a small target? — how about clearing the space immediately in front of your computer monitor?

Here’s the big mistake: Setting a big target, losing heart, and giving up.

In one year, I wrote and had published 3 books (a total of 1,258 pages). How? A simple principle that I coined:

Keep score and achieve more.

Every time, after a session of writing, I use the “word count” function in MS Word. I log how many words I wrote. I print out pages and place them in a binder. I literally see my progress — and it fills me with enthusiasm, hope and energy.

Here’s the secret: when it comes to clearing clutter, a little progress often looks like “no progress.” A room that is packed with clutter still looks full of clutter — even though you took 2 garbage bags of clutter out of that room.

That’s the reason that you need to use strategy.

Get a simple digital still camera. Take a photo of each little area that you clear. Print the photo and place it on a corkboard (perhaps, tack the corkboard up on the back of a door).

Start with small targets for clearing clutter:

a) clear the space immediately in front of your computer.
b) clear the floor next to your nightstand.
c) set up a filing system

Remember, take a photo of each accomplishment.

Where does hope come from? From you! — when you can see your progress.

Mistake #2:Setting a big target, losing heart, and giving up.

Action #2: Set a small target and log (and photograph) your progress

3. Enjoy happiness
Let’s face this together. Many times, we have mental clutter that prevents us from experiencing happiness. How? It’s connected to the “rules” that we set on an individual basis.

Do you know someone who says (or thinks): I can’t be happy until I clean up the kitchen.

That’s a “rule.” And it can cause pain and feeling dead inside.

Why?

Because if you’re a parent, work a job just for the rent, and do your hobby (that you’d like to be your eventual job) — you’re really busy!

Ask yourself:

How much mental clutter do I have to climb over before I can feel happy?

[By the way, I felt happy just typing that above question. Do you know the reason? It's because I derive joy at being at your service -- and connecting with you through this blog article.]

Do you get to experience happy moments and fulfillment each day?

You can feel that way when you use strategy instead of defaulting to mental clutter and disempowering “rules.”

I have another question for you: Can you be happy while you’re cleaning up the kitchen?

Here’s a better question: HOW can you be happy while you’re cleaning up the kitchen?

Some helpful ideas:

a) Call a friend and talk while your clean up.
b) Listen to energizing music.

Where is happiness?

It is in this present moment.

That’s the only place we experience happiness — because when you “time travel” to the future (worrying about the future) or to the past (feeling guilty over mistakes of the past) — you are not here!

The solution is: Observe the Mental Clutter — and let it float on by.

A “rule” can simply arise in your thoughts. Cindy thinks: “My sister should appreciate how I found that book for her and say, ‘Thank you’.”

In the work of W. Timothy Gallwey, we see three questions:

* What don’t I control here?
* What am I currently trying to control?
* What could I control that I’m not presently controlling?

Does Cindy control the behavior of her sister? No.

What would she try to control? Her sister’s behavior and her sister’s values.

What could she control?

She can let her thoughts about what her sister “should do” just float on.

Trying to control others is mental clutter. Let it float on by.
Then you can enjoy more moments of life.

To enjoy more moments together, a couple, Leeta and Jorge, often say, “Save that for the couple therapy session.” In this way, they can avoid much bickering and enjoy most of their week — because they choose to have the tough discussion during their couple’s therapy session.

Focus on this: “What am I happy about right now – this minute?”

Another helpful question is: “What am I grateful for?”

Mistake #3: Set a rule that puts clutter between you and feeling happy.

Action #3: Ask: “What am I happy about right now – this minute?”

*****

This is a beginning related to the ENLARGE-LIFE process. If you would like to find out how you can get a free copy of the
audio program Reduce Your Stuff, Enlarge Your Life — Eliminate Physical and Mental Clutter so You Enjoy Success and Happiness You Deserve CLICK HERE.

[The audio program includes the Easethrough(tm) and Time-Leverage(tm) -- which are better than time management. And the audio program includes 11 Mistakes and 11 Powerful Actions!]

Meanwhile, focus on these details:

Mistake #1: Trying to handle clutter only by yourself.
Action #1: Ask for help; hire help; get a jump start.

Mistake #2:Setting a big target, losing heart, and giving up.
Action #2: Set a small target and log (and photograph) your progress

Mistake #3: Set a rule that puts clutter between you and feeling happy.
Action #3: Ask: “What am I happy about right now – this minute?”

You’ll be glad you did.

Warmly,

Tom

Tom Marcoux
CEO,
America’s Communication Coach

Author of Nothing Can Stop You This Year: How to Unleash Your Hidden Power to Persuade Well, Get More Done, Gain Sudden Profits, Command Intuition and Feel Great – free chapter at http://bit.ly/8zQywm

and

Truth No One Will Tell You: How to Feed Your Soul, Save a Business, or Get a Job During an Economic Crisis — free chapter  at http://bit.ly/8RTRk5

and

Be Heard and Be Trusted:
How You Can Use Secrets of the Greatest Communicators to Get What You Want, 3rd edition – free chapter at http://bit.ly/8H0rOO

Tags: business, clutter, courage, economic recession, financial abundance, get organized, happiness, hope, miracle, money, organized, organizer, power, powerful, procrastination, success, Tom Marcoux, wealth,
Categories: Double Your Sales, How to Be Trusted, Your Guide to Money and Abundance

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