It’s Sunday. The laundry has been piling up for a week. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and tackle it.
Separate the colours from the whites. Wash. Spin. Transfer to the dryer.
Then do the next load.
By day’s end, the shirts, fresh-smelling and crease-free are hanging in your wardrobe. The towels, fluffy and neatly-folded, form a pleasing pile on the linen shelf.
Job done.
It took time. But, apart from the mystery of how you put ten socks into the washing machine while only seven emerged (What is it about socks? Is there a parallel universe to which they escape when tired of their partners?), there was very little angst involved.
Not so with life laundry though.
Well, what makes the difference then?
The big difference is that, with laundry-laundry, we are dealing with clothes and towels, whereas with life-laundry we are dealing with clutter. And clutter is associated with angst. Believe me, it is! The clutter around you is a mirror of what is in your head. Clear the clutter and the mist in your head will lift, revealing a charming, previously obscured, panorama of a brave new world.
So, where to start with the life laundry?
I suggest that the best place to start is with lists. Take five sheets of blank paper. Give each a heading, as I’ve shown below. Then, under each heading, start making a list of what, for you, represents the clutter that it would delight you to clear. In case you have difficulty in getting started, here are some prompts for you:
Physical clutter: Your desk. Your wardrobe. The kitchen counter. The bookshelves in front of which you sit when doing Zoom meetings (Have you ever noticed how horrifiedly intrigued you are with the jumble of clutter on your colleague’s bookshelf? Has she no pride, doing Zoom meetings in front of that clutter? And what do you think she thinks of the bookshelf behind you?)
Social clutter: ‘Friends’ who sap your energy. Social media. Dinner invitations still to be returned.
Administrative clutter: Dropbox. Your e-mail inbox. The pile of unopened mail on the hall table.
Organisational clutter: Ticking ‘book dental appointment’ off your list. Ordering an electric toothbrush.
Emotional clutter: Thank yous that haven’t yet been offered. Apologies that ought to be made. Mis-understandings that still have to be resolved.
You’ll add to the list over time, but at least you’ve now made a start. Starting the lists will have the immediate effect, as you transfer thoughts from brain to paper, of starting to de-clutter the inside of your head. Your head will feel considerably lighter. Your vision will be clearer. The future will look a lot brighter.
There is usually (but not always) less angst involved in dealing with physical (as opposed to emotional) clutter and this is where I suggest that you start. In future posts I will give you some ideas about how you might go about this.
Life laundry doesn’t happen overnight. More than likely, as fast as you cross tasks off your list, you will find new ones added to the bottom of it. It could take weeks – but more likely months – to reach the end of your lists. Do not be disheartened. At least you’ve made a start!
If you find that even just drawing up your lists is causing you more angst than is comfortable, message me to help you get started. Before you do so, it may help to read about my approach to counselling, mentoring and life-coaching.
