Clutter is a Block

Clutter Will Block Your Writing!

I took this picture the day I spent a beautiful afternoon writing at my friend's cabin outside of Flagstaff, AZ. I love writing outside on gorgeous days. Unfortunately, it is still over 100 degrees in Phoenix right now. I am stuck indoors when I'm not teaching. So, where do I write?

I have been trying to find the answer to that myself. I tried Starbucks. On nice days I can sit outside on the porch, but then again it isn't nice yet and the music inside annoys me.

Sometimes I write at Barnes and Noble in their cafe. When I really need to get away, that is my first choice. There are two drawbacks though: the chairs are uncomfortable in the cafe and I can't take a drink into the area where they keep the more comfortable chairs. I need my coffee.

I have a comfortable chair in my living room and most days I will write in that chair while I play The Secret as background. Unfortunately, knowing there are areas of my home that need to be cleaned annoys me. Clutter can and will interfere with your thought processes. If you read about Feng Shui the books will tell you to clean up your clutter.

This weekend, I started to de-clutter my condo. My place isn't that bad, it's mainly my daughter's old room, which I have been trying to turn into an office and guest room. Also, I needed to clean out some storage in my own closet. So, where do you find the time?

Today, I multi-tasked. While judging a contest entry for my chapter, I shredded old documents I no longer needed. We are talking 3 garbage bags full of shredded material. Between every paragraph, I placed a few more sheets in the shredder. No, it did not interfere with my judging. In fact, it was a fantastic entry and received extremely high scores. While mulling over what to write on this blog, I have been cleaning out the shelf beneath my desk. Every time I walked near my desk lately I have felt closed in and horrible. Now that the area is clean, I feel good. I also made some room in my daughter's old closet for a plastic 8 drawer container. I used my trusty label maker to sort out much of my writing supplies, plus old warranties, stationary, etc.

I am by no means done, but I feel better and more productive now that I have made a big dent. What's next? I am going to pack up the clothing my daughter left behind and drop it off at her place the next time I visit. Surprise!! Sometimes you have to make yourself the priority. We tend to forget that when we have children. We are nurturers and we worry about their feelings. We have needs too and sometimes we need to weigh what is more important in any given situation. I decided my need to feel good in my own home outweighs her need for a free storage area for clothing she hasn't worn in two years.

I give you permission to stand up for yourself too. So, go de-clutter and make your life better!

Until next week,
Happy Writing!
Tina LaVon