Clutter Free Living: Once CHOICE at a Time

Make Choices

When a cowboy hits the trail on a long trip the trail bag is packed as lightly as possible. Only the bare essentials are included. With this image in mind, I continually ask myself, “So what am I doing with all this stuff?”

If I want to simplify, I have to decide what is important and what is not.

Which led me to the next step Simple Step – MAKE CHOICES. I had to decide what is important, and what is clutter.

What is clutter?

Clutter is HAVING too much stuff.
Clutter is DOING too much stuff.
Clutter is SAYING too much stuff.

All this stuff, this clutter, is not adding value, it is not important. And, it gets in the way of true success, feeling productive and in control.

It is essential to assess why you have things, why you do things, and why you say things. You need to make a value judgement. One thing to keep in mind too is that clutter can be fun, but it always gets in the way of what is important at the time.

How do you decide what is truly important to your goal? How do you determine what will direct you on a path that brings less stress but more productivity?

The answer is in the trail bag. It lies in the simple instruments of my craft: ropes, guns, and whips. When I do my show, or I go out on the trail, or I talk to great groups across the world, I look at all my gear and ask:

WHAT IS IMPORTANT?

WHAT DO I REALLY NEED TO BRING?

WHAT DO I REALLY NEED TO SAY?

WHAT DO I REALLY NEED TO DO?

Everything else is not important. Everything else, for that time, is just CLUTTER.

Add to this technology that makes each of us available 24/7. We see people texting while dining, talking on the phone and messaging at the same time. If we are not doing and being busy, then we feel unproductive. Don’t get me started again on my apps!When you have something more important to do, what are all those 100’s of distracting, beeping apps? CLUTTER!

Funny thing is that many people still feel drained and overwhelmed at the end of the day. Those personal to-do lists remain undone. We have allowed clutter into our lives all day, every day.

When learning to rope, my mantra became – Don’t stop it, don’t drop it … I just focused on ONE thing … spinning my rope. I went from a weekend roper to a featured act in Cirque du Soleil. Simplicity is the key, less is more success SIMPLE SENSE!

I often ask people to create a list of what you HAVE, DO, and SAY around a given trouble area, like a desk or work scenario or just. When you are looking at that list, ask yourself those same questions:

IS IT IMPORTANT?

DO I REALLY NEED TO HAVE IT?

DO I REALLY NEED TO SAY IT?

DO I REALLY NEED TO DO IT?

If the answer is NO, then – it is clutter.