Be Like Sheldon

A few years ago I read a book by J.D. Roth, the creator of the show “The Biggest Loser.” Although the premise of this show wasn’t without fault, he made some great points in his book. His authentic mission was to truly help those who needed it and whose lives were in danger because of morbid obesity. He talked about how he personally went to visit and interview each contestant before they were cast on the show. One thing he found consistent with all of them, besides the obvious weight issue, was every single one of them had a bedroom full of clutter. He concluded their lives slowly became unmanageable, in every area, leading to their morbid obesity.

We all know our country has an increasing weight problem. Is it a coincidence that our country also has an increasing clutter problem? You can only drive a few blocks, in most cities, until you pass a storage facility. Our homes are larger than ever and yet we don’t have enough space for all of our stuff. What’s the connection? The problem of clutter, just like with excess weight, is that it’s a symptom to a much greater problem. 

We have clutter in all areas of life. Our calendars are jammed packed with little or no down time. Technology, electronics, and social media causes this clutter crisis to spill over into our minds. It’s time to clear the clutter not just with stuff in our homes, but all the clutter in our space, time & mind. If we want to find our authentic selves, peace of mind and true happiness, we need to clear the clutter everywhere!

People often tease me about my mad organizational skills. The letters, “OCD” have been mentioned more than once. I admit I may be an addict, but it makes me feel calmer. When I was in my early twenties I was sitting in a doctor’s office because there was blood in my poop. I know, right?! After several unpleasant tests it was determined I had ulcers developing in my colon causing the bleeding. I’ll never forget the doctor asking me if I had a sink full of dirty dishes at home. I wondered what the heck that had to do with what was happening in my toilet! He explained I’m sensitive to stress and I must find ways to reduce stress in order to avoid flare ups of this condition. He said a messy house is stress inducing. That’s the day my inner neat freak was born!

Thanks to Netflix, Marie Kondo set in motion a clutter clearing mission inside homes across America, including my own. (You can ask my poor husband.) Her message is crisp and clear. If you don’t like it, and if it doesn’t spark a feeling of joy, you set it free! When I was de-cluttering my closet, the life changing key question for me was to ask if you want to bring this item into your future life. Holding on to those old skinny jeans for when you reach your goal is great, but imagine you are at that goal weight. Do you want to still wear this old outdated garment or will you actually want to buy something new? Set it free!

We need to go after the clutter of our minds with the same gusto! A cluttered environment makes the mind think there’s always something else that needs to be done and it’s mentally exhausting. Clearing the clutter in your physical space helps, but there’s more we can do to de-clutter the mind.

Write it down – get it out of your brain & down on paper. Don’t knock the power of a to-do list. Keep a journal of the inner chatter that’s constantly interrupting your thoughts. Journal about things you’re worried about, plans to achieve a goal, or relationship concerns. 

Stop multi-tasking - It’s a myth we can do more than one thing at a time. I keep an hour glass on my desk because it reminds me that only one grain of sand can pass through the opening at a time. That’s the same way our brains work, only one task at a time.

Watch the in-box – We live in a state of input overload. Newspapers, blogs, magazines, TV, social media, web surfing, smart phones & on and on. Set limits on social media time and web surfing. Unsubscribe from stuff that’s not feeding your soul. Decide what information is relevant and disregard everything else. 

Be like Sheldon - Routines can be boring but routines are good. The more you put on auto-pilot can reduce stress and clutter in your brain. Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper is a bit of a nut job but he has the right idea about putting some things in life on auto-pilot. Sheldon loves routines and has one for just about everything. He has a specific pair of underwear and a specific t-shirt he wears for each day of the week. He follows a meal routine for breakfast and for dinner, such as eating at The Cheesecake Factory every Tuesday with his friends. He does his laundry every Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. Of course, Sheldon takes things a bit overboard, and perhaps I’ve watched this show a little too much, but you get the picture. Get as many small routine tasks out of your head by setting them on automatic.

“Time is a created thing.

To say ‘I don’t have time,’

is like saying, ‘I don’t want to’.”

~ Lao Tzu

It’s not easy. We stumble over clutter clearing roadblocks because of procrastination, indecision, guilt, overwhelm and time. You can’t fully clear the clutter of your mind if you don’t clear the clutter of your time. Each person’s life looks different. What’s important to me may not be what’s important to you. The “plan of attack” for regaining control of our schedules won’t look the me for everyone but one universal truth is the ability to say, “No.”

It’s not enough to figure out what you should do. You need clarity on the types of things you should not do. Every time you say “Yes” to something, you are saying “No” to something else. Determine what you’re actually saying “No” to. Is it quality time with your family? Are you saying “No” to your health? Ask yourself what’s truly important to you? We all have the same amount of time, we need to make the time for what’s important.

Life’s too short to spend our days in constant frustration. Chronic clutter creates chronic stress leading to sickness and obesity. We’ve become prisoners of our things, clouded by our thoughts, and frazzled by our schedules. Don’t allow things of lesser importance rob you of the life you could be living. Take a good look at your life and be brutally honest. Do the work to declutter. Set it free so you can be free! Clear the clutter in your space, mind, and time to live the life you were meant to live. You can do this!