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I awoke in the night and this phrase came to mind: the oppression of things. We do not sleep well when we're feeling heavy. Perhaps I'm simply feeling burned out from all of my efforts to get my home in order. I'm seeing definite results. I'm seeing spaces clearing and clean surfaces, the formation of good habits and routines falling into place. But there is still so far to go, and I wonder if I'll be able to keep it up. I wonder, will it be worth it? Will the monumental change in my life come that is promised by all the decluttering gurus?
In November I began the FlyLady system's 31 Baby Steps, following Diane in Denmark on YouTube. Diane has been a godsend. I had dabbled with FlyLady in the past and adopted some of the strategies, but it seemed too complicated and just didn't stick. Diane simplified it for me, and I finished the 31 Days on the last Sunday of Advent. Since then I've just been working on implementing the ideas learned in the Baby Steps, trying to resist the urge to go too far beyond that until I have the habits firmly established. Maybe it's time to scale back just a little, to rewrite my morning, afternoon, and evening routines to the bare minimum of items to accomplish.
When I was a Mary Kay beauty consultant, I learned that Mary Kay would make a list of the six most important things she needed to do each day, and I found that habit to be helpful. Six is a manageable number and does not feel overwhelming. I think I'll scale back my three routines to just six items each. I'll reconsider what Diane in Denmark emphasized as especially important. I'll tweak the ideas to suit my individual household, personality, and values.
It's time, once again, in this New Year and also new decade, to pull focus. Every kind of clutter results in the oppression of things. The physical things that we don't really want or need in our homes, the activities that drain us of energy and waste our time, the constant striving, the lack of clarity produced by a cluttered mind, a body cluttered with toxins and the wrong food, the weight of sin, even the clutter of experiences, which are supposed to be superior to stuff--all of this is heavy baggage that we no longer need to carry.
I suggest beginning with Diane in Denmark's approach to the Flylady's 31 Baby Steps. Watch only one video each day, and suspend your disbelief over whether shining your sink or dressing to shoes will really make a difference. Just jump in where you are and do it. Do NOT sign up for the emails at the FlyLady.net website, as you'll receive an overwhelming deluge. Here is the first video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11_wvZoQPTc.
I'll keep you up to date on my progress, and you can keep me up with yours. Together we'll learn to let go.