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Okay, terrible joke time. I’m always telling my kids this…Be like Elsa, let it go. I know, I know, it’s a lame joke. But I have been on a purge kick over here and have fully stepped into the minimalist lifestyle. And let me just tell you, sweet friends, it has changed my life.
As you probably know, we recently moved into our new home, and I really stepped into this place with a fresh mindset and just this minimalist approach. Like there are very few things hanging on our walls, and I absolutely love it. The whole goal of this place and this space was open space, sunlight, and Holy Spirit. That’s what I tell people when they come in and they’re like, “Where’s all your stuff? What are you putting on the walls?” I say nothing…space, sunlight, Holy Spirit. It’s all I need and it’s good. There’s just so much space to be and space to breathe and let me tell you, it is bringing so much peace to my life.
So, I’m all about the minimalism life over here these days. I really believe that less is more and if you want to give it a try, I don’t think you’ll disagree with me. Just step into it and see if less clutter and stuff around you doesn’t help you to feel more peace and give you more space and room and just air to breathe in.
Okay, let’s jump in and talk about how to experience more peace in your life by purging seven things. These are the seven things in my life that I have purged that truly are bringing more peace to my own life, and so I want to share them with you here today.
1. Apps on your phone
If you’re anything like me, then over time, you’ve accumulated a whole bunch of apps, whether it’s trending apps, fun apps, or social media apps that maybe you don’t even use anymore, which while we’re talking about social media, that’s a great place to start. You may have heard me share before that most weekends I actually delete all social media apps off my phone or, at the very least, off my home screen just to give my heart, mind, and my family a break from me being on social media. And I always am so grateful. I always come back refreshed, and honestly, a lot of times I come back feeling like, do I even want to come back to social media? Because it is so freeing to just have those apps off my phone. We can almost feel like we’re chained to it, right? We’re getting the endorphins as we’re getting all those likes and all those notifications and it’s like every time our phone dings, we want to go check it and it’s almost like a drug. It’s addictive. It’s the way that social media apps on your phone were created so they keep you in the app to keep you feeling high and happy and wanting more every time you get a ding on your phone. So that’s a great place to start when it comes to deleting apps on your phone.
Outside of social media, there’s probably a handful of other apps that you’ve downloaded at some point that you no longer need, and they’re just cluttering up your screens on your phone. Another great thing that you can do is you can actually organize and put all those random apps into folders. So, at the very least, even if you’re not deleting them fully off your phone, at least they’re more organized and there’s more “white space” on your home screen when you’re doing that.
2. Accounts you follow
This can be everything from social media accounts to podcasts that you’re following to influencers that you’re following. Honestly, even down to celebrities and shows and television programming that you’re following. Purging those and making some changes in that could be really good because what we consume is what we produce and what goes in is what comes out. And so, what we’re taking in with our eyes and ears and hearts and minds, it’s sinking down deep. It’s coming out of our mouths in words and it’s becoming our life.
I believe so strongly that there’s a direct correlation between what we consume with our eyes and our ears and how that so deeply impacts and influences our life. So, it might be time to take a look at some of those accounts you’re following, some of those podcasts that you’re following, some of the influencers, some of the TV hosts and programs and broadcasts that you’re watching, some of those shows on Netflix…What does the life of those people look like? What does the life of those TV characters look like? What is the plotline of the shows that you’re watching and consuming? Because what you’re consuming, who you’re hanging out with, and what you’re allowing into your heart and mind…it’s going to come out and it will become your life.
The Bible says that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, and the Bible also says that there’s massive amounts of power in our words and that it directly impacts our life. So, maybe it’s time to just do a whole fresh reset on who you’re following on social media and just let a lot of those things and those people go.
This even comes down to your friend group. If you have friends or acquaintances out there that you’re maybe even unknowingly playing the comparison game with, maybe it’s time to purge and let some of that go. Maybe it’s time to only follow people who are going to bring out the best in you, who are going to inspire you and impact you and pour into you and share wisdom that’s then going to sink into your heart and mind.
3. Past thoughts
There’s this thing called the beliefs train… Your beliefs affect your thoughts, your thoughts affect your emotions, your emotions affect and influence your actions.
BeliefsThoughtsEmotionsActions
In other words, the beliefs that you’re holding onto are directly affecting and influencing the thoughts that you’re thinking, which is directly influencing the emotions that you’re feeling, and that is directly influencing the way that you’re acting, the habits that you’re creating, and what your life actually is.
So, if you follow this backwards and you get down to the root of things that are happening in your life, it’s all tied back to your core belief system.
You’ve probably heard me talk about my program called Faith Fueled Breakthrough. And one of the very first things we do, in fact, about almost half of the program is around this, is we go in and we actually dig down deep into your belief system, what you’re believing and holding on to, and I teach you how to rewrite your beliefs. And that, in turn, massively impacts your life because it follows the whole beliefs train. When you change your beliefs, it changes your thoughts, emotions, feelings and actions that helps you to create new, good habits that will serve you well.
So, sorting through and purging your past thoughts and even rewriting some of those past thoughts and beliefs…You better believe it’s something that can absolutely bring more peace to your life.
4. Your calendar
Don’t our calendars get so cluttered up? Oh my goodness, between the kids and social things, and date nights with our husband, and grocery and errand runs, and work, and all the things…our calendars get so dang full. But guess what, Sis? If you took a really hard look at your calendar, I would venture to guess that there is some busy work on there. I would venture to guess that there are some things that you could probably draw a line straight through and it really would not make a huge difference if they were off your calendar. Am I right? Or am I right?
We fill up our calendars with busy work. Why? I really believe that part of it is because we have somewhat lost the art of just being. Just being still, just sitting in the silence. It’s like, I don’t know about you, but for me sometimes, I realize it’s been so long since I’ve just sat in silence, waiting and listening to hear from the Lord, waiting to hear His whispers. And then I’m like, why am I not hearing from God? Well, Katie, it’s because you’re not taking the time to be still and silent and listen because you’re so dang busy filling up your calendar with busy work.
We have this terrible habit of just staying busy and numbing out and never wanting there to be a single void. We’ve really lost this beautiful art of being still and there being less on the calendar. But I gotta tell you, Sis…if you will purge your calendar, if you’ll declutter some of the busy work, if you will learn how to delete and delegate things from your calendar, you better believe it will bring more peace to your life.
5. Your to-do list
This is a big one. And I have to admit to you, I wouldn’t say I necessarily struggle with this one, but it does seem to be a recurring thing that I have to deal with. Sister friend, it’s time to purge your to-do list. If you’re anything like me, then you keep a running to-do list somewhere, whether it’s written out, scratched on a million post-it notes that are stuck all over the place, written out in your phone, or some combination of the three (which is actually often the case in my own world). And I’m constantly gathering up all these notes all over the place and compiling them into one to-do list.
But I do have a method and a system to help you purge your to-do list. It starts with a brain dump or gathering up all these random nodes that are strewn and scattered about and compiling them into one giant list. Then, you’re going to go through, kind of like your calendar, and you’re going to scratch off all the things that don’t actually really matter…which most likely is a large amount of the things. I’m going to be real honest with you…every time I do this, I’m scratching off 25% to 50% of the things that I thought at one point were super important that really needed to be done but actually turns out weren’t that important.
Then, you’re going to organize everything that’s left on your list into priorities. The most important or perhaps the things that you really don’t want to do but really need to be done, they’re going to go at the top of the list and lower priorities at the bottom of the list.
And then, each and every day, you’re going to tackle three things. Only three things. Hopefully, there’s freedom in that for you, sweet friend. I know there’s freedom in that for me. I call this your big three. So, every day you’re going to take three items off your to-do list, or if it’s some gigantic task, then maybe you’re going to break it down into three smaller tasks and that’s going to be your big three. So, if it’s something like organizing your entire kitchen, that could be a pretty big task. So perhaps your big three for that day are going to be get all the dishes cleaned up, organize the lower cabinets, and wash up all the hand towels in the kitchen. That’s just an example but you get what I’m saying. You’re going to pick three tasks and that’s going to be your to-do list for each day.
Sweet friends, you’re going to kick stress paralysis to the curb and guess what? You are going to crush those three things. You’re going to get those three things done. Why? Because you can do three things. You can do three things and still have the time, space, capacity, and bandwidth to serve your family well, to take care of yourself, and to spend time in the Word when you only have three things on your to-do list for the day. Girl, you can get up and knock those out first thing in the morning, and then boom, you’ve got the whole rest of your day that you can go ahead and tackle other things if you want to. Or you can just have that as free time or family time. Purging your to-do list is super important and super effective.
6. Your closet
Oh my gosh, when we moved to this house, I kid you not, I got rid of half my clothes. I’m not even kidding. I have a giant, and I mean giant walk-in closet, like it’s the size of the bedroom that my husband and I lived in for the past six years. It’s big but there is so much white space and honestly, I love to just hang out in my closet. I stand in my closet and just take a deep breath because there’s so much space there, like I can literally do yoga in my closet because it’s not overflowing with clothes that I don’t need, don’t want, don’t fit, and never wear. So, I purged half of my clothes, and I donated them, and some went to a garage sale. You can do whatever you want with what you’re purging. But the end goal and the biggest, most wonderful benefit is that it’s going to bring you peace. If you want to cash in your clothes, that’s great. If you want to donate them, if you want to help add value to somebody’s life by giving them away, that’s great. But the white space that you’re going to have is going to bring you peace. Try it and I would love to hear back from you. Even if you purge 25% of your clothes, I would love to hear back from you how it changes your life because I promise you it will.
#7. Other stuff around the house
Okay, I have been there, and I know you have been there. Maybe you’re there now. We accumulate so much stuff that we don’t need or want or even things that we’ve been gifted that we feel guilty if we give away. And so, they sit in boxes, they sit in the corner, they accumulate in the closet and there they sit for years and years and years.
And friends, I’m here to tell you that the stuff in your house and the clutter around you is directly affecting your mental health. It’s actually scientifically proven that more clutter, for women specifically, leads to more stress and anxiety. Let me just say that again. It’s been scientifically proven for women that more clutter leads to more stress and anxiety. The stuff around you is affecting your mental health.
When I walk into my office to record a podcast, the very first thing I do is take a look at my desk and tidy up the space around me because it helps me to get in the right headspace and the right mindset. I’ve got to have a tidy space around me because I absolutely know that the clutter around me directly affects my mental health…which in turn affects you guys because I’m not at my best if I’m all stressed out with all the clutter around me.
So, take a look at the stuff around your house. It could be anything from your desk like I talked about, or maybe it’s a stack of books in the corner. I used to joke with my sister and some of my girlfriends that I was playing book Jenga in the house that we previously lived in because I had a stack of like 35 books, and it was just stacking and stacking and stacking and it was like this whole Jenga stack that was about to just fall at any given moment.
You can purge books, movies, magazines, kitchenware, appliances. My sister told me when she decluttered her house that she had something like, I don’t know what it was, like eight or nine or twelve spatulas in her drawer. I’m guessing if you go digging through your kitchen drawers, I bet you’ve got at least four or five, six, if not ten or twelve spatulas. And seriously, how many spatulas do you actually need cluttering up your kitchen drawers?
Be honest with yourself. Your office, workspace, the place where you sit and write up bills or where you grocery shop, your bedroom where you go at night to maybe read your Bible or to relax, your living room… Are there blankets and throw blankets all over the place? Do you really need 12 pillows or throw blankets in your living room? Your kids’ bedrooms? Do they really need 27 stuffed animals? That’s a whole other podcast episode that we could do. But you get the point.
We accumulate so much stuff and it is directly affecting us, so purging the stuff in our house will absolutely bring more peace to your life.
By the way, I’ve got to point you back to episode 97 on the podcast where I had Allie Casazza on the show, and she shared how to step into minimalist living and some really great tips for stepping into that and for beginning to declutter and minimize things in your home so that you can experience more peace. So, if you haven’t already listened to episode 97 with Allie Casazza, definitely go back and take a listen to that episode.
Alright, sweet friend, I hope and pray that this brought joy to your life today and added value to you. I can’t wait to hear what you purge and declutter! Hop on over into the Step into Joy Sisterhood Facebook group and tell me about it. Tell me what you’re purging and decluttering and tell me how it affects your life. I would absolutely love to hear from you!
