Love it or hate it - for most of us our phones have become fairly central to our ability to function, in both our personal and work lives. Mine works well for the most part, but recently had been slowing down and becoming a little glitchy. I took some time the other day to delete a bunch of old photos I didn't want. I also removed all of the apps from my Home Screen that I never use, and even deleted a ton of old emails. Since I freed up some space, the phone is far faster and more efficient again.
So it got me thinking. If it works for my phone, it could be an important lesson for my life generally. I too, don't function as well when my schedule gets crammed full of activities. Or when mentally I have too many stressors running circles in my head. Sometimes it becomes very important to free up space.
10 time wasters I personally discovered and eliminated or at least limited: (maybe some of these will sound familiar to you too)
1) Scrolling mindlessly on my social media and endless "refreshing." Why??? Seriously why?
2) Online dating apps. More mindless scrolling. Nope.
3) Junk emails. I took the time to unsubscribe to many. Now my email is a little less packed with things I don't even want or need to see and sort through.
4) A weekly club responsibility that was fun, but not really serving me anymore.
5) Worrying about money. Not saying to stop trying to make money and manage it well. But any time spent simply in stress mode is completely unhelpful, and can drag down your day.
6) Game apps on my phone. Spider solitaire in particular. Not even that fun really, but a frequent time suck. Deleted.
7) A side job that wasn't making me enough money to be worth it anymore. Better to free up time and space for new ventures that fill my soul.
8) Finished a couple of unfinished projects. Yes it took some time to dig in and clear them out, but then they are DONE. No more stepping around them and feeling guilty they aren't completed. Usually things don't end up taking as much time or energy as you thought they would once you finally commit to taking care of them.
9) Blocking some toxic people online. Vibes matter . It's important to protect the energy around you.
10) Figured out some more efficient ways to stack up weekly errands. No need to retrace your steps and waste time driving to the same areas.
There are more...working on it.
Hear me now...this isn't about multi-tasking or hyper scheduling to fit more into an already stressed out life. It's not about taking the fun and relaxation out of life. Quite the contrary. It's about intentionally eliminating things that have no actual value. To make more room in your schedule and spirit for people and pursuits that do.
When life begins to feel a bit out of control, it's time to take a good hard look at the ways you spend your time, and the people and ideas taking up energy in your mind and heart. A little house cleaning may be in order, both literally and figuratively.