Your life is like your closet.

Really! It is!

What does your closet look like?

If you have ever heard me speak or read my book, you have heard me say, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” It is how you show up in this world. If you tend to procrastinate, that will show up everywhere in your life. If you are considered a “Type-A” personality, you will demonstrate that tendency in many areas.

So, what does your closet say about your life? Is it crammed and clutter? Or, is it organized with the essentials?

I ask for a very important reason that I will share in this week’s article… Hopefully it will help with both your closet & your life!

Have the priorities in your life sent you in a tailspin of overwhelm? Are there days that you have so many to-do’s, that you don’t know where to begin or what to focus on? Your brain feels fatigued just thinking about what needs to be done, what you hope to do and leaves you feeling frustrated that you don’t get as much done as you would like?

That is similar to having a cluttered closet.  Instead, it is a cluttered life, which creates a cluttered mind (or vice-versa).  Actually, clutter in any area of your life will create clutter in many areas. Let’s look at some Simple Solutions to clear the clutter so your closet and life release the overwhelm that sabotages you from living your best life.

Assess:

Before you embark on the challenge of de-cluttering an area in your home, head, or life it is important to honestly assess where are you in your de-cluttering journey.  Are you at the beginning, maybe drifting along? Or, did you do the Clutter Clearing 14-Day Challenge, and you are making strides to being clutter free? Assess where you are and be honest with your answer. (Click here if you want to do the 14-Day Clutter Clearing Challenge)

Decide:

Once you know your beginning point then you can determine what it is you are really hoping to achieve. Decide what that actually looks like in your closet and what it feels like in your mind. Get a clear picture.

Looking at these first 2 steps should give you a clear picture of the point of where you are and the point of where you want to be. This will give you a sense of the path that lies ahead.

Question:

Create a specific question that will help you evaluate whether you are on target to get from the point of where you are now to the picture you hope to create for your closet or your life. This question should be specific and not vague. For example, “Will I wear this in the future?” is too ambiguous and adds to many variables into the mix. This doesn’t allow for decisive decisions. A more distinct and helpful question is, “Do I look great in this now?” I know, it is so much easier to ask the first questions instead of the latter. But, the latter will guide you in making changes that will truly help you get the results you wish to create. For your life, asking, “Should I do this?” is too indefinable. Instead, ask yourself, “Is this activity in alignment with the picture of my ideal life?” Asking these more difficult questions will help you eliminate the things, ideas, and activities that are cluttering your closet and life. The more specific and harder the question, the greater ease you will have in understanding what is or is not supporting you and your ideal picture for your closet and life.

Execute:

Now that you have asked the tough questions and figured out what clutter, ideas, and activities need to be eliminated, it is time to actually get rid of the things that are not truly supporting you and the best version of your vision for your life. Take some time to put together a strategy to get rid of the clutter, habit or to-do. If you don’t put a plan in place you can get stuck in decision fatigue and never take the actions necessary to move you to your end goal (remember that clear picture?) This last step can be the most challenging, and why it is really critical to take the time necessary to think tactically. It will allow you to move past overwhelm and succeed.

Now do you understand why your closet & life are really similar? As a matter of fact, you can probably think of other areas that relate… maybe your home, health, business, wealth, relationships, mind, or level of happiness?

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Photo Credits: Bend Bulletin & Home BNC

Are you feeling overwhelmed? I can totally relate! Here’s what I did to overcome the overwhelm…

At one point this week I felt that panicky feeling in my stomach that felt like my insides were beginning to do somersaults.  Have you ever had that feeling?

Similar to many families, Team O’Leary (that’s my nickname for my crew) has had a lot going on this year. Some of it exciting, like one child going off to college. Some things challenging to manage. For example 4 kids in 4 schools and multi team schedules.  As the typical family dynamics and obligations unfold there are other items to juggle related to the home front.  Our home is still under construction and as a designer I have a very hands-on approach to that project (much to the builders dismay 😉 and we are still navigating the insurance conundrum. Those are the plates that need to be spun on the home front and then there are plates that need to stay spinning for Home in Harmony. Private clients, group program participants and mentees and design projects. The snowball effect of what this means can seem daunting.

It truly is a whirlwind and it would be quiet easy to allow some of those plates to spin out of control and go crashing onto the ground.  I can honestly say that I know what it feels like to have feelings of overwhelm creep into my world.

When the overwhelm begins to show itself, this is what I do…

It is critical to manage the overwhelm!  In today’s article we will look at some Simple Solutions to help you overcome your overwhelm.

First, it is imperative to mobilize and move into action to move through this experience and get to the other side of the overwhelm. Trust me, there is “the other side”.   Knowing this keeps me moving forward.

Taking time to take a few breaths is also critical. At one point recently I was forwarding emails that were supposed to go to my business manager to my husband. His gentle reply of, “Hi Love, Is this something I need? I love you.” Was a fabulous reminder that when you are moving to fast, it can actually create more work because you are not doing things well which in the end creates more overwhelm.  I then forwarded my email to my business manger letting her know what had happened and she sweetly and firmly said, “Hmm, I’ve been thinking about you and all you have on your plate. Maybe you should take some time to sit down and have some tea.” These lovely people were there to remind me that it is critical to take moments each day to breath deeply especially when you are feeling the impact of a dizzying amount of stress, commitments or overwhelm. We all go through periods in our lives where we experience this. It is how you approach it that can help you either move through it or stay stuck.

Let me share a few simple solutions to help you to overcome your overwhelm…

1- Look at the big picture and create a goal around it. This will help you envision where you hope to go. It will give you the needed momentum to keep taking each needed step to move you forward. For me, my vision is of our family enjoying our beautiful new home. I can see the smiles, hear the laughter and feel the warm fire from the hearth. This vision carries me and moves me through the feelings that begin to rise up in the pit of my stomach. What is your vision? Find it, feel it, connect to it. It will pull you through.

2- Compartmentalize the different areas that are creating that sense of overwhelm. Is it related to your personal life, professional life, home space, kids’ activities or clutter? Look at each area separately and create a system for each. Do this by creating goals and task list that are manageable. Take one small step each day to cross of these tasks that are related to the goals in each area. Make them small enough that they are manageable but big enough that you feel like you moved the needle.

3- Take time each day to take a deep breath. (The more of these moments the better.) It actually helps to lower cortisol levels in the body, which can help you think clearer. This helps you make better decisions that will be more effective and efficient.

It is a natural part of living to have experiences arise that can create feelings of overwhelm. Implementing strategies and simple solutions that will help you be more effective and efficient will help you move through your day with more ease and grace. Begin by sitting down with a cup of tea, taking a few deep breaths and writing out your vision of your ideal life and noting the things you will focus on today to move you closer to that goal. This will help you overcome the overwhelm.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Image Credit: www dot get healthy u