I heard a recent episode of Optimal Living Daily podcast titled “Busyness is a Kind of Debt”.
One point that stuck with me was the comparison that clearing clutter and getting to “clutter zero” provides the same feeling as getting rid of credit card debt.
The suggestion is that there are many areas of our lives where we can strive for “zero” – clutter zero, inbox zero, to-do zero, meeting zero, laundry zero, etc.
The feeling is great when we achieve zero.
We feel accomplished and relieved.
We have space to focus on something else while not worrying about the clutter.
Yet, as soon as we finish, the numbers start to build – emails come in, clutter emerges, clothes get dirty.
I wrote a post on this – Life Infrastructure Cycles.
My Perspective
What I realized from the episode is that routines and habits are the key to dealing with these clutter loops in our lives.
Two routines that have helped me keep things at or near zero (causing less stress) are the Sunday Basket system from Lisa Woodruff and the daily shutdown routine from Cal Newport.
A quick overview of each:
Sunday Basket – A physical basket where you put notes, bills, and to-do items all week long. Then, you process the basket and handle the tasks all at once. This is a simple description – you can learn more about Lisa and this system at Organize 365.
Daily Shutdown – This involves the last ½ hour of your workday. The goal is to spend that time processing as much of your email and outstanding tasks as possible, so they don’t carry into the next day. The time is also used to look at and plan the next day.
The other routines in my life handle laundry, grocery shopping, longer views on work projects, and more.
I’ve found that the more routines I have in place to handle life cycles the less the projects weigh on my mind and cause stress in the background.
Your Turn
Which cycles in your life cause the most mental load?
Have you tried the Sunday Basket or Daily Shutdown routines?
What processes do you use to keep the clutter cycles in check?