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Archive for Clarity

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Getting Clarity on What to Do

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 17, 2022

What you do is infinitely more important than how you do it. Efficiency is still important, but it is useless unless applied to the right things.

Tim Ferris, The 4-Hour Work Week

People affected by disorganization often complain they don’t know what to do. This breaks down into what I call the BIG WHAT and the LITTLE WHAT. Big or little, if you don’t know where you are going, it is almost impossible to get there.

The Big WhatList of things to do on white paper with black pen.

The Big What refers to life purpose, larger goals, or one’s mission in life. Each of us has various domains of interest, activity and priority in our lives.  For example, career/vocation, family, relationships, spirituality, health/fitness and financial are all domains or components of our lives.  Different authors identify and separate these life components differently, however the basic premise is the same. How important each domain is to an individual, how much time, energy, and other resources they will commit, varies according to the season of our life. When the components are imbalanced, an individual may feel unproductive. When someone says “I don’t know what to do”, and they mean they don’t know how to prioritize their limited free time, they are talking about the Big What.

Clarifying the Big What requires having a vision for your life. Do you have a sense of who you are are what your values are?  Do you know what your priorities are?  How do you want to show up in this world?

Behind the Big What is why we do what we do; our values determine our Why. The Japanese call this the Ikigai, the reason to get out of bed in the morning. Gay Hendricks calls it working in our Zone of Genius.   Do you exercise because health is important? Did you buy a bike to spend time with your children and get some exercise?  Do you work in a book store because reading is your passion?

Having a clear understanding of your Why will help you get to your vision, or life goals, even when the going gets tough. Creating a vision board or mind movie are tools may people use to help clients clarify and remember their goals and values. If you are really struggling with some existential questions (get married or not) you may need the support from a professional such as a minister, rabbi, life coach or similar individual trained in guiding clients through the larger existential issues of life.

The Little What

The Little What refers to either a process or daily tasks. It more often has to do with technical competence in a task or project or sequencing the steps. The output will be concrete.

Have you set clear goals? Are the goals written down? Written goals are more likely to become a reality. Are the goals meaningful and relating to the overall vision for their life or, at least one domain of it? Can you identify exactly what the output of your project looks like? SMART goals, (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time Limited) are still one of the best ways to identify one’s Little What.

If you really struggle with disorganization, you may require additional support to identify clearly, succinctly, and specifically what you want the result of a process to look like. This clarity often makes the steps to get there also more visible. With a clear destination, choosing a path becomes more tangible and therefore, more attainable. Creative visualization or employing a theme might also clarify lower and higher priorities.

 

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scrabble pieces spell order and chaos

Mastering Clutter-Free Living: Step 1 – Achieve Clarity

Posted by Carolyn on
 March 9, 2022

Following up last week’s blog post on Mastering Clutter-Free Living, today we are going to look a little deeper at how to achieve clarity.  You may be thinking “what does it mean to be clear on clutter-free?” or “why do I need clarity to just get rid of stuff?”

What does it mean to Achieve Clarity?

orderly clothes closet

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Getting rid of stuff and staying clutter-free can be a real challenge for some people.  For those affected by chronic disorganization, getting rid of stuff can be a huge block to moving forward with the personal or professional goals. Achieving clarity includes identifying what you want to do and why you want to do it.

  • What it is exactly you mean by clutter-free? For some people this is an almost empty closet with homogenous hangers.  Others are happy if the closet has nothing on the floor.  Some people would feel they had a clutter-free home if they are able to open the closet door because the floor around the closet is finally clear. Get a clear picture in your mind. Get committed to the outcome you want. This will be helpful when you are trying to figure out what to do next.
  • Why is being clutter-free important to you?  Why now?  What could you do if you could achieve this goal? Getting clear on your why will help when the going is tougher.  When you are faced with your favourite sweater that is now 2 sized too big, remember you wanted a clutter-free closet to make room for the new clothes.

Why is Achieving Clarity important?

woman looking at map

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  1. With clarity creating a strategy is easy. Get clear on your goals and what you want to achieve so you can create a pathway for yourself.  When you have a clear destination in mind, finding the map to get there is easy.  It is very hard to find a pathway to someone when you don’t know where or what that somewhere is.
  2. Achieving clarity also sets intention and helps you develop a “can do” mindset. When you have a clear vision of what you want the outcome of decluttering, or a lifestyle of clutter-free living, to look like, you are telling your brain to head in the direction of that outcome.  You are setting the intention for yourself to make that outcome a reality. Give your brain the direction and cheerleading it needs to believe you can accomplish clutter-free living. You can.
  3. Clarity will keep you stay focussed. When other obligations and distractions start to get in the way, being clear on the lifestyle and outcome you want for your clutter-free living will help you stay on task and on track. Having a really clear pathway increase the chances you will succeed.
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