Okay, so you got your Book of Secrets started. You wrote your story and identified themes and stuck spots. You probably then, got a little stuck. (Like I have been, now that I sent off my latest novel.)
This is the time to purge clutter.
Clutter weighs us down. It distracts. It smothers. Whenever you are on a creative roll, clutter calls out from the corners, “Here I am. You can't really focus until you deal with me.” Clutter is the spawn all those unfinished projects, abandoned hobbies, and good intentions gone lazy that we accumulate in life.
Clutter is a problem. Dealing with it is never pleasant. It means facing up to all of the above, and often our Shadow (from Jungian psychology) takes up residence among our clutter: that gift from an old boyfriend that we harbor secret thoughts about. That Stairmaster that we took about 15 steps on before we decided to embrace love handles after all. That expensive juicer (like WAY expensive) we bought for when we were going add more nutrition to our lives. Etc, etc.
Hoarder alert. Clutter has a way of spawning more and stifling creativity.
This week, pick a clutter zone. Could be as small as the “everything” drawer in your kitchen, or as big as your bedroom closet. Take all your angst, stuckness, frustration with being creatively blocked, and ruthlessly get rid of everything you haven't used or worn in a year.
Everything you're having trouble letting go of, put in a box and label, CLUTTER. Put it in the secondary clutter spot (at our house, it's the garage) where clutter makes one last stand before it leaves the house. Stack the boxes in the Almost Out the Door area. If you don't need the item and get it out, you won't remember what's in the box.
In six months you deliver the box, unopened, to your favorite charity.
DO NOT plan to have a garage sale or put things up on E-Bay instead of dealing with them- in fact I think those two intentions often make clutter a permanent part of your life, because who EVER wants to do those things? Instead, try this box method and let me know how it goes. And if you MUST, plan to open the boxes in six months and have a garage sale with whatever is in them, on the day you open them. Period. End of story.
After you deal with your zone, sit down and check in with yourself. See if there isn't a major amount of psychic and psychological creativity freed up.
This weekend I'm tackling my poky writing corner, with plans to relocate it to the hardly-used guest room. That will be my reward for tackling the dusty piles of old manuscripts, nameless binders, teetering piles of newspaper and magazine articles and stacks of old software CDs that have rendered my writing area a stifling mess. I'll let you know how many boxes I generate.
Give it a shot. You've got nothing but useless crap to lose.
Brilliant! It’s amazing how much more slowly I work at home when my work area is cluttered. I’m sure if I cleared a few corners in other areas of the house, my whole life would experience a creative burst. ^_^
So true. My clean office may not always be a happy office, but it is a productive one. The angst of impending cleaning is usually much worse than the actuality of cleaning.
I am one to close cabinet doors and keep my apartment rather barren. I’ve always preferred a minimum of distractions while I’m writing, but it’s not just that. The Spartan nature of a blank wall, maybe with one small picture is appealing to me.
I’m clutter phobic, I hate clutter. I’m the type that says everything has a place and everything should be in that place, problem is I live with not one, but 2 hoarders! I guess I have OCD of a different kind 🙂
Great article Toby. Two years ago I fell in with a gang of minimalists who taught me how to lighten my load by reducing clutter – physically and mentally. While I can not claim to be a card carrying minimalist I have learned to open up my life and let the fresh air in by moving out all the useless junk. Well… most of it anyway! I particularly like your advice against planning for a garage sale or EBay; just take it to a worthy charity; you will be doing a good turn for them and yourself.
This must be a case of great minds thinking alike. Carol Kilgore over at Under the Tiki Hut wrote something similar on her blog today.
My itsy bitsy desk looks like a crash landing site. My printer is playing host to a pile of files and papers and I’m afraid to look at the shelf behind me. I might just try and tackle this mess on Wednesday, when I have a holiday.
Something I can’t figure out though. Every time I get rid of the stuff, it comes back in spades. And boy do I understand how the clutter gets me focused and fretting on all the things that are out of place and away from writing and editing.
Joy, I think you will feel lighter and liberated!
A great inspiration, Toby as I sit here looking at letter holders with 3 year old stuff in them.
It feels good to deal with them!