Declutter with Laura Getting into the flow of a New Year can be a busy and somewhat overwhelming time and that’s why this month’s column is all about helping you to let go of physical and mental clutter, so that you can prioritise peace, clarity and joy for the year ahead. Most people associate clutter with physical things; our stuff, our items, our physical possessions, and yes, these things can indeed be clutter. But clutter is so much more than just physical stuff. We can have cluttered minds and lifestyles too! My definition of clutter is anything that you don’t use, need, value or love. Clutter is anything that doesn’t serve you or contribute to the life you want to live. Here are three things that you should declutter this January:
Laura Pearson is an Intentional Life Coach and Professional Declutterer & Organiser, based in Lancashire. Her mission is to help people to consciously create, live and love their own version of an intentional life and clutter-free, organised space.
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big hello to 2022 and to each of you! Can you believe that January is here, along with my first column for The Lancashire Magazine? Being a proud northerner from Lancashire myself, I am so excited to share my tips and tricks with you to help you declutter your space, mind and life so that you can live with more clarity, peace and contentment. As we all know, January is typically the month of fresh starts, New Year’s Resolutions and lots of stuff! Most of us have overflowing cupboards of Christmas treats, an accumulation of festive decorations dotted around the house and stacks of gifts (some unwanted) with nowhere to live. 204
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UNWANTED GIFTS As a Coach and Professional Declutterer and Organiser, gifts are one of the most popular items that clients struggle to let go of and feel conflicted about. But we need to remember that when somebody gives us a gift, the gift is actually the thought behind it, the time and energy spent, and the fact that somebody has gone out of their way to get and give us the gift. There is absolutely no point in holding onto gifts that you aren’t going to use, need, love or value. You don’t need to feel bad about letting them go and decluttering them either. You can donate them (to a charity shop or Women’s Shelter for example), sell them, re-gift them, or give them away to somebody who will benefit from them.
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CHRISTMAS LEFTOVERS We can probably all find some form of Christmas leftovers dotted around the house. Whether it’s Christmassy treats and food that we didn’t eat, unused gift wrapping and unwritten cards, gifts without a place to live, or items that we haven’t got around to putting away in the busyness of the Christmas season. Carve out some time to tackle whatever physical Christmas related clutter is currently occupying your space. You may choose to declutter and let it go or find a rightful place
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for it to live in your home. Remember that anything that is Christmas related won’t be used for the next 11 months, so it probably doesn’t need to be in sight.
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COMPARISON January is THE month of New Year’s Resolutions and goal setting. I think I can vouch for all of us when I say that we’ll probably hear “New Year, New Me” more times than we’d like to. I’m all for goal setting and implementing changes that will transform your life for the better – I even coach my clients on goal setting and taking aligned action as part of my 1:1 Coaching Programme: Intentional. But I’m not into the comparison, competitiveness and feelings of guilt and even shame around goal setting, especially in January. January can be a tough month. We can feel tired, low in energy, unmotivated as we return to “real life” after the Christmas break and even drained from Christmas come down. Keep this in mind and don’t be hard on yourself when it comes to setting goals or rushing to achieve them. It doesn’t matter what anybody else is doing or what goals they have set themselves. It doesn’t matter if you don’t set goals. It doesn’t matter if you set goals and “fail” to achieve them. Declutter comparison. Stay focused on you and what will bring you the most joy in 2022. Happy Decluttering! I wish you all the best for 2022.
I’d love to know what you’ll choose to let go of this month. Reach out to me on email or social media to let me know. Connect with Laura D www.laurapearsoncoaching.com I @laurapearsoncoaching F @laurapearsoncoaching E laura@laurapearsoncoaching.com Download Laura’s free guide – 5 Steps to Start Decluttering your Life at: www.laurapearsoncoaching.com/ 5-steps-to-start-decluttering-freebie www.lancmag.com
