2019 me talking briefly... we don't even have advert breaks anymore because we only watch netflix and amazon ... so... this one really made me smile! The principles are still true, just outdated example.
What can you declutter during an advert break?
This entry was posted on July 1, 2012, in Space Clearing. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments (Edit)
My inner calmness is influenced by the outer order around me. Is that the same for you?
I’m an avid ‘declutter-er’ and I’ve even helped other people do a big declutter and they get a wonderful feeling of freedom at the end but it’s not always easy or convenient to put aside a weekend or a whole day and get someone to help. So how can we declutter a little at a time without losing motivation?
One of the most helpful things my Mum taught me is that you can do something in a few minutes. Mum used to let us to watch our favourite TV programmes but when the adverts came on we had to go and do a job. Our little minds were focused by the time constraint of an advert break and made it easier to get the task done. It taught us to take advantage of those little times and even now during advert breaks I feel the desire to stand up and just get something done quickly (not that we have many advert breaks now because of the wonderful record and fast forward buttons).
The lesson she was teaching us is that you can do a lot with even a little amount of time. But without someone like a parent to motivate us to do it… how can we convince ourselves to actually do what we said we would? The answer: Tagging. One of my favourite techniques (asides from time constraints) is ‘tagging’, it’s what I use when I want to start a new habit. It works as it sounds, I tag the new habit/action onto another task I already do.
Here’s the idea: Let’s say you want to declutter your underwear drawer (socks with holes in and tights with ladders are not cool!). Either wait for the next advert break or next time you’re putting away clean laundry (that’s the tagging part), make sure you set your timer for 10mins (use a timer on your phone or on your oven) and empty your underwear drawer and get rid of whatever doesn’t fit, whatever is worn out or whatever you don’t love.
It’s my experience that most people feel better in an environment that is clear and orderly, what drawer or item are you going to tackle during your next advert break?x