This weekend, I decided I could no longer put off the annual Spring Cleanout of my clothes closet. It was finally time to sort and remove all of those clothes that I´ve held on to for years, thinking perhaps I´d one day start liking them. It is at the point where the majority of my closet is full of clothes I don´t like or wear, which leaves little space for anything new to come in.
Recently, several of my executive coaching clients have described various stages of overwhelm, where they repeatedly find themselves mired in the muck, stressed, and feeling less than successful at many, many things. Their days have become filled with too many activities, some of which have questionable value. Can you relate?
Perhaps it´s time to honor this seasonal tradition of Spring Cleaning and apply it to our mental and emotional shelves. What are the items that no longer serve a useful purpose or have lost their color and life? How might we let these tasks, responsibilities and stresses go to make room for fresh thoughts, perspectives and meaningful actions?
I, for one, have started a new practice of setting priorities for the next day at the end of each day, and confirming them at the start of the new day. I have also actively scheduled at least one hour of unscheduled time each day to make room for thinking time or for working on a project that was unexpected. So far, it´s helping me feel calmer and more balanced. I invite you to embark on your Spring Cleaning project and experience that breath of fresh air that is there for the taking.
