(written for the ASTD Newsletter, July 2014)

Last month, we cleared out clutter in our environment. This month we are going to address some of the psychological and emotional benefits to clearing out clutter. As you read the article in the attached link at the bottom of this article, I hope you will gain some ideas that you can put into practice right away and that will offer you peace.

One area that hasn’t been addressed in this article or by last month’s blog is the electronic clutter we accumulate. In this day of technological gadgets, it is easy to forget the toll they take on our minds and emotional energy. We are bombarded by email, text messages, Facebook notices, social networks, etc. Our lives are constantly interrupted by notifications on phones, tablets and computers. All of these interruptions interfere with our productivity and our relaxation. This is all electronic clutter which has to be dealt with and takes us away from what we really want to be doing.

When do we get a break in this age of electronics where we are expected to be available 24 hours a day? The truth is, we don’t get one unless we take one! Schedule time to respond to your emails and texts, but don’t let it consume hours of your life every day. Then schedule time to be disconnected so you can plug into the present moment! All electronics have an “off” button, but we forget we can use it. I was reminded of this while we were on vacation to the Grand Canyon last week and how refreshing it was to not be able to get any cell phone signal! I apologize to any of you who tried to reach me and didn’t get a response, but it was nice to get a real break to focus on myself, my family and the beautiful scenery. Try it and see how refreshed you feel after unplugging for a day, an evening, a morning or a weekend.

This article was published in the Journal Star which obtained it from the Dallas News. Here is the link: http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/health-and-fitness/health/20140512-getting-rid-of-the-clutter-helps-increase-inner-peace.ece

If you would like more information on cleaning out your clutter, we offer presentations and small coaching groups on this topic as well as one on one coaching.