July Mixed Bag: Use Those Decluttering Mindsets

I have so much going on this summer, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. There are several trips on the books, my dad is selling his house and moving into a retirement community, I’m doing a Half Marathon at the end of the month and I’m writing a book…phew! While I do feel a little anxiety creeping in, I’m arming myself with all of the wisdom gleaned from my 55 years and the wins I witness from my clients on a weekly basis. The truth is, decluttering mindsets are mindsets that work in many other facets of life as well. I’ve been reflecting on this as I navigate this busy season and decided to use the blog to share my thoughts. Welcome to this month’s Mixed Bag!

Midlife Family Trips & Decluttering

We leave for Hawaii in a few days and I’m really looking forward to this family trip. One of the realities of midlife is that it’s really hard to coordinate schedules with grown kids. That means family vacations are few and far between. Because of this I feel more energy and urgency to make them happen. One of the decluttering mindsets I’ve been putting into practice is spending money on experiences over things. Family trips fit neatly into this mindset. It is expensive to take your grown children on vacation. You need more space, no one eats off the kids’ menu and booking plane tickets, activities and a rental car to comfortably fit 5 people adds up quick. 

But at the same time I cherish the time we spend together, it’s important to me and to my husband. So whenever I’m contemplating some new purchase I mentally lay it up against my priority of a family vacation to see if it holds up. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. If I think about each new thing I bring into the house as something I need to manage, store and eventually dispose of it really helps me stay true to my value of quality time with family.

To that end, while we are on this trip I’m going to pitch No Christmas Gifts in favor of a January jaunt to Disney. (Our family has many fond memories in the Happiest Place on Earth!) I’ll let you know how it goes!

Half Marathon Training & Decluttering

What do running and decluttering have in common? There is a huge mental component to both. Decluttering mindsets have come into play in a big way during my Half Marathon training.

I have found that many of the mantras I use to help my coaching clients stay accountable to their decluttering goals also work for me when I need to self-coach on a run.

A little background: running does not come naturally to me. For most of my life I hated running and only did it if I had to. But over the past 3 of years that changed when two High School friends sucked into doing a 12K race with her. I found a great trail to train on, one where I could take my dog Gus with me. And that’s where I fell in love with running. Fast forward to this year – I’m signed up for a Half Marathon with the same friends. That is a HUGE challenge for my body, but the bigger battle is with my mind. 

A Half Marathon is 13.1 miles – that is loooong for me! The advice I give clients to overcome intrusive thoughts that get in their way has helped me combat my own mental hurdles as I run longer and longer distances: 

• Starting small and building muscle is the best way to achieve results 
• I am capable of pushing through tough emotional moments 
• Preparing my environment by adding elements of pleasure distracts me from intrusive thoughts 

All of these mantras have helped me get over the hump countless times, including today when I did 12 miles for the first time!

Iteration and Decluttering

Here’s the thing; Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither was your clutter problem! One of the decluttering mindsets that really helps for those of us in midlife is that decluttering can be iterative. As time goes by, you’ll find that you feel differently about certain things that you’ve kept. It’s okay to punt on some things if you aren’t sure and revisit them later.

Case in point: a couple of years ago I decluttered our outside mudroom, which is where we keep the majority of our sports equipment. I got rid of many things (pogo sticks, deflated soccer balls, a badminton set) but there were others I wasn’t sure about. Two of my kids played lacrosse for years. I couldn’t part with their sticks. It had been many years since I did my last triathlon but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to my wetsuit. Somehow we still had a car booster seat ‘just in case’ a small child came to visit (???)  I didn’t get rid of any of that stuff the last time I decluttered. But when I visited the mudroom recently I acknowledged that while I wasn’t ready then, I was ready now. It’s time to say goodbye to all that stuff. So the outside mudroom is on my decluttering list this summer. For this iteration I’m ready to be more ruthless.

I’m betting all of these decluttering mindsets can be helpful to you in life beyond your actual decluttering. (I’m currently bonding with the iterative approach as I work on my book!) And if you use them in multiple places you are building more mental muscle to help with your decluttering! It’s a Win-Win, peeps.