What is Mindful Organising?
Mindful decluttering and organising is being aware of what is going through your mind as you do things around the house. Being conscious of what passes through our minds as we do things gives us very useful information. It is the key to unlocking blocks we might have. When it comes to organising, it is a great tool we have in our toolbox.
Let’s imagine you’ve just collected the mail. You’re about to toss it, unopened, onto the kitchen bench. What’s going through your mind as you put it down?
If you can catch those thoughts as they happen, they will give you clues as to how to fix your pet hate of having a cluttered kitchen bench.
You might be thinking “I don’t have anywhere to file the mail once it’s opened”, or “I’m too busy to open it right now”, or “Oh no, it’s more bills and I can’t afford it”… You can see that each of these reasons gives you information about what you might need to do to help the kitchen counter stay clear. (Create a filing system, set time aside to open mail per week, delegate tasks, change jobs or review your finances). Stopping and listening to these thoughts and feelings can help you know where to focus your energy.
How can being mindful help?
Once you catch these thoughts, you could then follow up with a question. Ask yourself “what do I need to support myself in moving forward and getting my house decluttered?” Focus on a particular area, like the dining room table. Ask yourself “what do I need to make sure my dining room table stays clear?” If your table is covered in washing to fold, your answer might be “I need somewhere to fold my laundry”. Or it might be “I have nowhere to put the clothes once it’s folded. So, I need to declutter my closet”.
If there are papers all over the dining table, then you might answer that you need a filing system for the papers. Or you need rules around what to keep and throw out.
When you start asking the questions and have the time to reflect on these things you will come up with solutions. Try not to feel too bad if you are presented with a long list of “I have to do A, B…Z before this will be sorted” and the overwhelm that goes with it. Sometimes an independent party might be needed to step you through the priorities and help set up a home (and processes) that support your household.
Why not join our WellSorted Facebook Group and share what you’ve observed pop up in mind about organising and decluttering related stuff?
