08.04

Zen for Ten {Day 2} MAKE SPACE + SIMPLIFY

day 2

Ponder this

Modern life encourages us to acquire ever more stuff. Better cars, more clothes, the latest gadgets. And oftenwe hang on to all the bits and pieces we have accumulated without any real need for them. The result is that our homes – which should be our sanctuaries – become stuffed with plastic and metal, or become shrines to our past.

If you are not doing what you love right now, that means something has to change. And for that to happen, you have to make space for something new. If you are surrounded by stuff and constant reminders of the life you have been leading up until now, it is very hard for your mind to embrace fresh ideas, expanded possibilities, new dreams. Having a life detox – however simple or radical – can work wonders for you. Make space for possibility, minimise distractions and open your mind.

 

d2 q

Try this

  • Declutter your home: Have a clear out of your stuff. Take it room by room so you don’t get overwhelmed. Sort things as you go – to sell, to recycle, to donate to charity and to keep. Then go through your ‘to keep’ pile and halve it. Put the proceeds of selling your stuff into a jar marked ‘for doing what I love’.
  • Declutter your walls: Reassess how you have decorated your home. Are the walls and surfaces completely covered? Do you have everything you own on display? Could you put half of it away and rotate with the seasons? Try to reveal more of your blank walls to let your mind breathe for a while.
  • Declutter your office: Clear your desk of unnecessary stuff. Do you really need 20 pens, 3 staplers and a calculator in front of you? Can your files be hidden in a cupboard? Do you have space to spread out and map out your ideas? If not, make that space!
  • Declutter your social media spaces: ‘Unfriend’ people you don’t really know on Facebook, or who don’t make you feel good. Stop reading blog posts by negative people. Limit your time on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest,Instagram and blogs so your brain has less clutter to process.
  • Declutter your inbox: Do you have more than 10 emails in your inbox? Answer what you can, put everything else in an archive folder and start over. It is incredible how different this will make you feel. Unsubscribe from newsletters you never read (Try www.unroll.me). And in future when emails come in, read them and delete, reply or file away. Don’t leave them festering for more than a day or two.
  • Declutter your relationships: Take a step away from doubters, pessimists and people who tread on your dreams. Take a break from toxic relationships, or overly demanding friendships. Commit to making space for YOU
  • Declutter your mind: Lie on the floor, or out in the garden or park. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, slowly. Each time you breathe out, let go of something – tension in your muscles, a worry on your mind, your to-do list.
  • Imagine it floating off into the sky. Keep breathing. Keep letting go.

Journal/blog this

Where does your uncluttered mind wander when you give yourself time to daydream?

What could a simpler version of your life look like?

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Tweet this

“The less you have, the more free you are.” – Mother Teresa #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm

Where does your uncluttered mind wander when you give yourself time to daydream? #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm

I’ve had enough of this mess. Time to declutter, in every sense of the word. #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm

Making space for what I love today. #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm

Make space and simplify. It feels good. #zenforten @dowhatyoulovexx https://bit.ly/1jTBvPm

 

PS If you blog about your experience please link to https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/zen and share a link to your post on our Facebook page.

You can also follow along on Instagram @dowhatyoulove #zenforten

 

Zen for Ten is a ten day mini chill out series. Join here and take a step back from your hectic life to focus on what you love.

 

 

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