This lion has a choice...she can scatter her energy and move in short bursts 12 different ways OR, she can FOCUS and use the same amount of energy to move forward...in ONE direction. YOU can use this lion-like focus to make progress in your space, with your stuff, too!

I have a client, Sunny, who has been paralyzed FOR YEARS by her stuff. She says “I take a bag to the donation center just about every week but it doesn’t feel like there’s less stuff in my home.”

So, we made a plan. A focused plan. Start in the bedroom because nothing is more important than sleep--and it was the most chaotic. Your sleep can really be interrupted by crazy energy in the bedroom. (She lives in Kansas City so we have a weekly Facetime date.)

This is her EDITING PLAN:

• The Bedroom floor (I call it the “floordrobe”+ other items and papers)--sort into trash, recycle and donate.
  
  
• Dresser and Nightstands
  
  
• Closet
  
  
• The Guest Room--kind of a catch-all
  
  
• Upstairs Office--papers!
  
  
• Kitchen, Living room and Garage.
  
  

Because she is scattering her energy, picking out a few items to donate HERE AND THERE--she is not making progress in a directed, satisfying way. Theoretically, she is getting the same amount of work done, and (eventually) she might be able to go through her entire space. However, her lack of focus is giving her imperceptible results. I’ll keep you posted...so far, Sunny and I have finished working on the Bedroom floor, Dresser, Nightstands and most of the Closet!!!

Your Turn:

Choose a starting place! Pick a manageable starting place. Something you KNOW you can complete. And then feel good about. A dresser, your nightstands, or your media cabinet (VHS or 8-tracks, anyone?)

Cut out distractions! Turn your phone and laptop OFF. Lock them in your car or give them to your neighbor. Put up the ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ sign and set a timer for 1 hour...2 hours if you’re brave. (Even with my support, 3-4 hours is all anyone can tolerate in one session.) A ticking timer (like an old-school wind-up one--remember your phone is in the car) is a very good audio reminder to stay on track. Physical and mental wandering is NORMAL as you practice this skill. Do not leave the room, make piles by the door for when your time is up. THEN, Close the Circles!

Break it down! If you choose the dresser, start with the items on top--edit and refresh. Next the top drawer. Then the second drawer. Work your way to the bottom drawer. One at a time. If you do this work in distinct sections, you may find the challenge very do-able. Fun, even:)

Finish with a flourish! When your timer rings, Close the opened circles: take the trash out, put donations in the car, and CELEBRATE!

This is your secret sauce for progress--COMPLETE and CELEBRATE.

If you’ve picked a small manageable area, then completing it is a breeze. How will you celebrate? Fresh flowers for the dresser? A walk in the sun? A phone call with your funniest friend?

Powerful Focus is an amazing tool to use as you make progress in your space. If you need support staying on track or finishing what you’ve started, contact me, I would love to help.

Love,

XOXO

Jane

PHOTO CREDIT: quoteswell.com

Have you given any thought to the “spaces” in your life lately? The in-betweens, the pauses between “doing”, “busy” and “crazy schedule”? What do you call it? Down time? Breathing room? Savasana (hello, yogis!)? Napping? Meditating? Staring at your coffee cup? Walking the dog? We aren’t robots designed to push the “GO” button and never stop until we fall into bed at night. We have to have rest and space, it’s critical to our thriving.

It’s where the inspiration happens, it’s where the gifts pour in, it’s how we get creative, and how we receive. And it doesn’t stop with white space, it extends to the spaces we live in, too.

If you really want to “Make Space” here are a few ideas:

Make Mental Space. Time is speeding up. People are sleeping less and doing more. Our brains are pulled in a zillion directions: texts, email, facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, kids, activities, news, netflix. It’s harder to focus. And stress is on the rise; as a society we are not any happier. It’s so easy to keep adding one more thing to the *doing* side of the equation. But, that energy has to come from somewhere and our lives may be taking a direct hit as a result. Try this: Take a deep breath when you get that revved-up-social-media feeling, or if your mind is about to short circuit, get outside to the closest scrap of nature you can find, take your shoes off if you can, and breathe. Just that...simple.

Make Space in Your Schedule. Even if you’re a high-powered corporate exec, put some time on your schedule, hour-long chunks in your calendar, for “NOTHING” or make up a secret code like, “marketing training” so that you know that it’s time to breathe, listen, tune in and trust. Back to back meetings and clients, schedules without white space and calendars without time to think will lead to burnout, lower productivity or any other number of “dis-eases” caused by the stress of it all. Do not over-ride your signals for rest, food, & fun! And if you have to intentionally schedule space into your calendar every week for these things then do it!

Make Space in Your Home. Our homes are a metaphor for our lives. So, if there is craziness in your schedule or you’re pushing through your day like an over-caffeinated monkey, then your home is probably reflecting how you are feeling. Are there piles of junk mail and catalogs waiting for your attention? Do you have to shove stuff into the closet when friends stop over?  Is your garage so full that your car has to chill in the driveway or on the curb? Is your basement so stuffed that the thought of moving (for the job of your dreams) makes you sweat? Attend to the things you own (statistics say on average we Americans own 300,000 items!) edit out those that do not lift your energy or make you grin from ear to ear, and leave some open space EVERYWHERE. Leave at least 10% space on the shelves, in the drawers, the closets, and storage spaces. Feng Shui wisdom says that if there is no space and the energy in your home is crowded or stagnant then new ideas, creativity, inspiration and the many gifts of life will not have room to flourish.

Make Your Space Beautiful. A gorgeous space will feed your soul and your life in ways you might not even be able to imagine right now. Placement of furniture and art, attention to energy flow and balance can invite rest, connection and ease. What if your sofa was so luscious in color, shape and texture that you HAD to sit down as soon as you got home (and couldn’t get up because you were so relaxed)? What if the art in your home flooded you with delight whenever you walked by (and put a little spring in your step)? What if the energy of your kitchen felt so good that you and your sweetie found yourselves cooking together more often (and then actually ate together, too)? Magic like this (and more) can happen from infusing beauty and bliss into your home.


What’s one small thing you could do this week to create SPACE? And what’s one thing you could do to beautify your space? Take a little action and note the difference. Those small changes? They add up.

XXOO

Love,

Jane

PHOTO CREDIT: sciencefocus.com