202 - The Seasonal Energy of Decluttering, Organizing & Productivity

In this week's podcast episode, I talk to you about organizational energy. At the beginning of 2017, I recorded three podcast episodes in a row after I had come to the conclusion that there is a cycle to getting organized. The first step is decluttering. The second step is organization. The third step is increased productivity. I want to take some time to "unpack" what each of these steps are and understand the energy behind decluttering, getting organized, and becoming more productive. What do you tend to focus on? If you're a homeowner, you most likely tend to focus on one of these five: decluttering, organizing, being productive, cleaning, or decorating. And you'll likely subscribe to and follow people (podcasters, bloggers, authors, etc.) who have the same focus as you. For example, I'm focused primarily on organization and on having a home that is organized in a functional way. To become organized, you first need to declutter. When you have worked on organization, you then tend to start working on productivity. I focus on all three steps as I see them as interconnected, but you'll rarely hear me talk about cleaning or decorating! Let's look at what I mean by these steps… Decluttering Decluttering is the act of reviewing a space and removing what no longer needs to be there. Quite often, decluttering needs to be completed as a group/family activity. At the very least, you need input from your family members when it comes to deciding what to do with their items. Decluttering is 70-90% physical and 10-30% mental. It becomes more of a mental exercise when you are dealing with items that are of emotional significance. Organization Organization is 50% physical and 50% mental. The mental aspect of getting started. Then the physical emptying out the space. Then comes the mental decision making on what to do with items. Back to physically buying and filling containers to use. And ending in mentally evaluating and reevaluating if the organization methods you chose is the BEST for you. Back and forth between mental and physical at a rate of 50/50. Increase Productivity Productivity is 10% physical and 90% mental. Being productive is largely a decision-making activity. For example, if you decided that you wanted a new capsule wardrobe, you would spend 90% of your time working out the when, what, and how of it all. Then, the actual act of going out and buying what you want, after all the decisions have been made, would take just 10% of the overall time. Cleaning Cleaning is 100% physical. There is very little thought process involved. You know what needs to be cleaned and you, or someone else, needs to take action. The only mental aspect is often us trying to justify or avoid doing a task that just needs to be done! That is why it is the easiest item to delegate! Decorating is something that I have so little experience with, I'm not even going to attempt to explain that one! How this relates to energy cycles In today's podcast and post, I explain how energy cycles throughout the year ebb and flow and how they relate to home organization. (This post is a long one and this email is long enough! Read the whole post here.) but I will post the energy you are feeling right now... October - December At this time of year, we start planning for the holidays. Thanks to those of you who took part in my holiday blitz this past week! Your focus is back to cleaning again. You want to clean before Thanksgiving and before you start putting those Christmas decorations up. The energy that is coming in the last 6-7 weeks of the year will come in waves. The energy will not be constant. The waves will come and you should ride them and not push them off. It's harder to resist than to actually go and do what you want to do. For example, you'll get an urge to go clean a room, declutter the kids' rooms, decorate, etc. Whatever it may be, you will find you have these urges. I recommend just acting on them. December 22nd It seems funny for me to be so specific with a date, but on December 22nd my blog traffic will double (like it has done for the past few years)! I've realized that most of us start organizing on December 22nd. It's when the kids are home for the holidays. Extended family start to arrive, if you are at home on the holidays. You are done with your holiday shopping, wrapping, etc. Most of the cleaning is done. You have time off work (with most jobs). It's winter so you don't want to be spending too much time outside. You will start to think about a home organization project that you could undertake. Family are around to help with decluttering. The focus is more decluttering than organizing at this time. From December 22nd to January 1st, the decluttering energy turns into an organizational energy. The 100 Day Home Organization Program I open enrollment for my 100 Day Home Organization Program at certain times of the year for a reason. The timing is well thought through and I base it on the cycles and energies that I've discussed in this week's podcast episode. I'm pleased to let you know that the 100 Day Home Organization Program has just opened again (November 10-14). Click here to register. If you join now, you'll start receiving the daily emails right away and you'll get the new and improved planner. Remember, the 100 Day Home Organization Program is not just for Christmas, it's a lifetime membership! You can do the program again and again until your life has transformed. My goal is for you to live an organized life so you can spend your time doing what you love and pursuing your life purpose. What a great gift that would be, at Christmas or any time of year! View the complete post here: https://organize365.com/202