Issue #27: Remove the Clutter
Good morning. It's Wednesday, September 21st. Tough to be a fan today - but 52 years ago today Monday Night Football kicked off in our hometown of Cleveland (and the Browns actually won).
Ok, let's get into it...
“The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of the non-essentials.”
The number of objects in an average American home.
Bonus Stat: American kids make up 3.7% of children on the planet, but own 47% of worldwide toys & books. (Credit: LA Times)
Analog Minimalism
Focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on the rest.
Cal Newport (Digital Minimalism)
In today's chaotic, digital world we are re-wiring our brain on how to manage all of these online options (time sucks) that invade our mind hundreds of times a day.*
But the same can be said for the real world too.
Our home should have a sense of calm - both so we can relax/rejuvenate and focus.
Given the changing hybrid work model, we're spending more time than ever at home (Issue #25). As we bring our work home with us, we're also bringing all the "stuff" that goes with it - I know my home office desk can be a real eye sore at times. We can become overwhelmed with "stuff" that invades our home.
This "clutter" can affect our minds and health as much, if not more, than our online addiction.
*Literally hundreds - we check our phone, on average, 344 times per day.
Impact of Clutter
1. Less Focus & Poor Memory
According to Stanford Health, clutter limits our ability to focus and process information. This even shows up in fMRI scans - our brain actually reacts differently when we're in a disorganized mess. This makes sense - our brains are only capable of focusing on a few things at once. Just like when we're overwhelmed with online distractions, too much "stuff" jumbles our mind without a clear intention.
2. Higher Stress
Research shows that piles of clutter increase our cortisol levels. As we showed in Issue #19 - this has all kinds of negative health effects (low testosterone, high blood sugar, weight gain) when we spend too much time in fight or flight mode.
3. Lower Productivity
Just like so many of us try to have a Morning Routine and a dialed in calendar - organization leads to productivity. The same is true with clutter in your home. Too much stuff = procrastination.
Clean Your Room
This isn't a "how to" de-clutter manifesto.
For that you can watch The Home Edit on Netflix or read lists from blogs like becomingminimalist.
Instead, I found the questions from Greg McKeown's book Essentialism which is about how to prioritize your life/time to be most useful in identifying how to eliminate some of those 300,000 things in our home:
Don't ask "will I wear/use this again?" - ask "do I love this and wear/use it often"? By shifting the framing of the question we go from keeping things that are mediocre to raising the bar to stuff that's awesome. Similar to the question of "does this bring me joy" from Marie Kondo, but with the added value of "purpose".
We put a higher value on things we already own (they have history and emotions attached to them) - so ask "if I had to buy this today, how much would I pay for it?" This disrupts the ownership bias and makes you value it more objectively.
Don't ask - "should I go through stuff this weekend?" - ask "what do I need to quickly organize/filter this stuff?" Build in a routine to make this a consistent process so that things don't back up for 3, 6, 12 months. Have things on the ready - like garbage bags, nearest donation center and hours, calendar block to do this on regular basis.
The Why of Clutter
Removing clutter gives us more clarity, more control, more joy in our journey.
We can really stop there...
but, if you want to go deeper into how you are personally affected by consumerism and clutter, you can check out The Minimalists.
They go beyond just getting rid of stuff and dig into the "why" we have this stuff and our attachment to it - asking questions like:
When did I give so much meaning to possessions?
What is truly important in life?
Who is the person I want to become?
How will I define my own success?
Regardless of whatever is best for you - just make sure you have a home that you enjoy and can allow you to relax, focus, and thrive!
Speed Read
Health & Longevity in the News
My Memory is Soo Bad: First, think positive thoughts. Second, check out these 10 brain exercises to boost memory from Everyday Health. Two on the list - playing racquet sports and learning a new sport - help your brain while getting you 1) out of the house and 2) some exercise. Also, see our issues about supplements from last week - especially Issue #21 (Magnesium) and Issue #22 (Omega-3) that can help improve memory.
A Path to Happiness: Happiness, what does it mean? It’s different for you than it is me, but there are ways to identify and cultivate your happiness (positive thoughts?). Forbes Health shares 8 “expert-approved” ways to increase wellbeing. For 3 areas - stay active (Issues 6-10), prioritize sleep (Issues 11-15), and eat a healthy diet (Issues 2-5, 20-24), check out our newsletter archive. For the other 5, be sure to check out future issues as we tackle connection, meditation, gratitude, and fun over the next few weeks.
There’s No Wrong Way: Meditation is hard. It’s hard to focus, hard to sit still - am I doing this right? Tricycle: The Buddhist Review shares 5 tips for beginners - release your goals, stay flexible within your structure, be comfortable in your posture, allow thoughts to flow, and try to meditate regardless of your mindset.
Wednesday Weights
I always struggle working my hamstrings and glutes - make sure to stretch after this bridge workout if you want to walk pain-free tomorrow, especially if you take the challenge of going 2 or more sets of all exercises.
Click HERE to view the workout on our YouTube channel.
Workout and video courtesy of Connor J. Obrochta. Check out all of Connor's workouts on Playbook!
Wednesday Logic Puzzle (LP)
Math puzzle today. If the following equations are true, what is ?? + ?? = 1,234
6 + 4 = 210
9 + 2 = 711
5 + 2 = 37
9 + 8 = 117
15 + 3 = 1,218
?? + ?? = 1,234
Inspiration: BrainDen
**For answer, see tomorrow's issue.
Thanks for joining us today! Well gotta go - need to clean out our closet before the donation center closes at Salvation Army. See you tomorrow!
Check out the latest workout videos on our YouTube channel
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs LLC does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.