It is springtime! And that means people are cleaning out their houses and cars, and trying to get a fresh start for the rest of the year. This time of year is a great time to clean up other areas of your life, too! This “spring cleaning” goes beyond your physical life, but also and mental and emotional. So often, we can keep mental “clutter” that drags us down, keeps us away from goals, and in general, holds us back from reaching where you want to be.
Prioritizing
I get it; you want to do ALL the things ALL of the time, and it can feel impossible to make a choice. But we sometimes forget that we ARE making choices about what is most important to us every day by choosing what quality of work we will give to each task on our list. Our time and energy are finite resources, and when we try to do everything, what often ends up happening is we are giving a lower quality of work to some things that are important to us. It also can lead us to burnout. Please look at your upcoming week and prioritize the tasks that are the MOST important to you, to the ones that, while you may like them, don’t quite measure up to the others.
Boundaries
Boundaries is a buzzword but an essential part of building a healthy and sustainable life. Boundaries are the lines you draw that tell you and others what you are and are not willing to do to accommodate the tasks and responsibilities in front of you. Boundaries can be communicated verbally or written, but the most significant part is enforcing them. The sentence, “No, I can not do that,” is one of the most empowering and freedom-giving things you can do for yourself and protects the integrity of the priorities you established in the first step.
Adding Value
I also love using this lens when deciding what needs to be kept in life or taken away. The question, “What value does this give to my life?” can be a transformative experience. Whether you are evaluating items, experiences, or relationships, everything you keep in your life should add value in some capacity. If it doesn’t, there needs to be serious consideration about why that particular thing or person is being kept and if it is necessary. The things and people we surround ourselves with do impact and influence us to be different people, and that effect can not be ignored. Actions speak louder than words, and the people you keep around you impact your actions.
Use these steps to help you figure out what you want to clear out of your life over these next few weeks!