Joinsupermoms

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

Here is a straightforward way to get ahead in life and declutter: say “no” to everything.

Go ahead, try it for a week. In that week, draw out a new schedule, a new plan. Only fill it with the things that absolutely lead you to reaching your planned goals.

I learned this from moving into an empty apartment. It was like starting over in life. This time I got a fresh start.

The beauty of an empty apartment is you can determine to fill it up with only the absolutely necessary furniture you need. Or you could leave it empty and just experience the inner peace of an empty room.

Imagine furniture is responsibility and the apartment is you, a supermom. The adult life of a supermom is far from free of responsibility like the empty apartment. But you need not clutter your life with distracting commitments and responsibilities that are really not your own.

When to Say No

If you don’t have the luxury of planning life from an ’empty apartment’ start, when is it time to say “no”? When you’re feeling overwhelmed and essential tasks start to suffer. Then it’s time to declutter: say “no” to everything.

I remember being woken up by my kids one morning. It was time for school, they said. They hadn’t showered, I hadn’t fixed their meals, my head was pounding. This morning just came upon me and I was unprepared. I said no. Today we were all staying home.

I fixed us a simple cereal, gave the kids a shower and put us in the playroom while I drew up a new schedule. I said no to my devices, no to appointments for the day.

Of course some relationships were ruined, but I figured, if it was really important, if it was really worthwhile, it could be mended. Everyone and everything that mattered to me that day was right there in the playroom.

When to say Yes

Looking at my empty apartment was bliss. I had a flurry of ideas, where to put what, how to place which…then I stopped. I am still saying no till this day.

For me, decluttering had to start in my mind. I had to declutter, say no to everything in my mind that was distracting from the life’s essentials: food, health and clothing.

Where life essentials are the goal, all roads must lead to achieving it. It took the centre stage and I started to think about what I really needed and what I could do without.

I still have no furniture, apparently you can survive quite decently without a sofa, but I do have cooking utensils and equipment.

I have a warm duvet, a plastic stool and toiletries. The bigger furniture, I guess, will come as I see how and where seating and relaxation serve my purpose.

In life, when you learn to declutter, say no to everything, your mind and body follow suit. You realise that you really don’t need much. Without necessarily being minimalistic, you are simple but happy.

And this transcends into everything you do. Your relationships, your responsibilities and your core values.