(For Gen Zs who ask, this is Tetris)
Why I decluttered & Why you should consider it too
Life is a game of tetris. We are thrown multiple blocks and forced to fit them nicely together. Sometimes, blocks overwhelm us and we get stuck.
What can we do? We either 1) stay calm and present, and work to recover and still win the game OR 2) PANICCCC! Mess up more, and lose the game.
Sadly, number 2 happens more often than it should. To become better at Tetris (and life), we need to 1) reduce the number of blocks, and 2) increase our presence of mind to play the game.
This leads to the value of DECLUTTERING.
Have you ever got so much on your mind that you find it hard staying present? THEM BLOCKS ARE THE PROBLEM. They represent your challenges, baggage, tasks, distractions, anything that BLOCKS you from being productive in the present.
That’s me recently, especially as workload and expectations and fears piled up. Further, I’ve always been weak at organization (my Mum is nodding her head).
So I figured if I want to take my business and life to the next level, I gotta start getting present and organized. This is why I took the weekend off to do a complete decluttering + organization of my room and workspace.
It was truly amazing. Of course, its no panacea, it takes constant work. But it’s a start. I feel lighter and my mind clearer. Not just that, I discovered other benefits and hidden insights. So much so that I decided I must put it into an article. ENJOY!
1. Your room is your mind. It functions (and smells) better when it’s clean and clear of clutter.
My Desk! (It helps to keep it neat and add a ‘dream board’! On the left, I put principles I live by. In the middle, I put my visons and goals. And on the right, my favourite poems. Design one yourself:)
Your outward expression of your life is an inward reflection of your thoughts. Your physical space could represent (and reinforce) your state of mind.
For community work, I’ve visited some single room flats before. Growing up in relative privilege, it was eye opening for me. Some flats were full of clutter. Beyond that, it was unhealthy. Roaches would scurry occasionally and paint was peeling off the walls. It’s hard for most to imagine living there, but for the occupants, you could sadly argue that they have accepted their plight - it reflected their state of mind.
This leads to clear benefit of decluttering - your environment impacts your mind and performance. At a recent workshop I did on holistic resilience, I engaged participants in a fascinating discussion: Is your environment stronger than your will? Answers were split, but we all agreed that it’s useful to realise that both matter. The human will is incredibly powerful, yet our environment does matter….simply because our emotions, thoughts and beliefs are formed from information taken in from your 5 senses through the environment.
One overlooked aspect of the environment is our physical space. Good news is, we have control over how we optimize it. So let’s exercise that control.
2. I’m addicted to shades of blue more than I realize.
I started the declutter with my wardrobe. Apart from realizing I wear less than 5% of my clothes (which is not surprising), I was more surprised to realize that ~ 80% of my shirts are different shades of blue. MAMMA MIA! WOW! Ok it’s not that earth shattering, but it was an ‘aha moment’ for me. I stare at my cupboard everyday but never noticed.
It made me remember that much of our thoughts, attitudes and behaviours are on autopilot. If we don’t pause, take a bird’s eye view and consciously observe or reflect, we may never live life consciously. This stifles our progress and adaptiveness and at worst, we get trapped in unfavourable, or even toxic routines, relationships and ruminations.
(Dr Joe Dispenza, a renowned speaker and consultant, explains it better here, check the podcast out!)
Learn to live consciously. It’s useful to take a step back and observe your wardrobe of life once in a while, or even daily for that matter.
Learn to live effectively. It’s useful to pause and respond, instead of reacting. (I explain the difference in depth here!)
Learn to slow down to speed up. Is your ladder leaning up the right wall?
My Wardrobe
3. You revisit, challenge and clarify your identity.
This point is major. I think we don’t realize how much our items says about our identity. Identity is a complex notion, but it can simplified to the acronym BRAVE (Beliefs, Rituals, Allegiances, Values and Emotional experiences). Each of these aspects are major contributors to who you are, what you stand for and how you want to live.
Every item we own reflects a piece of our identity. It reflects our past and present choices, and locks in emotions and memories. Some stronger than others.
As such, going through all my items was odd, nostalgic and sometimes shocking. A plethora of emotions hard to describe. I was forced to face myself -to revisit, challenge and clarify my identity.
I smiled on occasion, when I saw a pink Princess Disney ruler I used back in JC (I used it with a pink pencil case), or a birthday note written to me by a friend describing my spontaneity. I no longer wear or use pink, but it represented a desire to entertain and be different, to express disregard for convention, aspects of my identity I still hold.
Then there are items you find it hard to discard. (mainly stuff from past relationships haha). They are bittersweet. Memories you treasure, a trace of gratitude, but perphaps an equal amount of regret. What do you do with them? I don’t have an answer haha..(you can google this, and seek your own perspectives).
What I do know however, is that decluttering forces you to face yourself.
4. We have hidden treasure. Discover it and spark joy.
I made $700 from 2 items. WOW! What is it you may ask? My kidneys? A valuable watch? Nope, just 2 Pokemon Cards I kept for 15 years. They were worth about $350 each… oh my, it sure did spark joy when I discovered their worth. I’m sure it did for the buyer too (although he did say that might change if his GF found out).
Apart from my cards, I discovered things like past notes and watch straps which I gave away. The receivers were appreciative. I felt good, knowing that an item that would otherwise be collecting dust can be of good use to someone. It reminded me of the joy of giving too (and receiving too, can’t deny that $700)
It’s the same for life too. All of us have value. All of us. It’s just unfortunate that we bury them under layers of clutter – clutter of insecurity, doubt, baggage and blocks that prevent you from accessing it. I see this in students all the time, when they personalize failure and let it blind them to their value.
Give it a shot. Try finding hidden value in your home. Maybe the act of doing so will spur you to find hidden value in the home of your soul too.
Volunteering? A side hustle? Mending a relationship? There is so much more value we can give and receive. Don’t let clutter deny you that birthright and privilege.
5a: Notion is amazing.
Saved the best point for last. To trump the pokemon cards, it must really be good. I discovered a NOTION. Notion is an all in one online workspace and organizer. I was using Evernote previously, but decided to try Notion after watching the video below. It was by a British Youtuber named Ali Abdaal, who’s also a junior doctor at Cambridge, and also runs courses and other businesses. How he manages his time is beyond me, but he does mention Notion as one of his secrets. Definitely check his channel out if you’re into productivity and self-development.
Coming back to my point, I have a weakness in organization, and it’s holding me and my business back. As workload piles, so too does clutter in my mind. It helps to get things out on paper, and have a system to follow. I was BLOWN AWAY, yes maybe I’m late to the party, but for those who don’t know what Notion is, here’s how it’s helped me:
First up, databases! Evernote serves as a giant database too, but it’s not nearly as neat. As you can see in the picture below, I can organize all my books, articles and research into databases and add tags to search information easily. This is so valuable to me as a speaker, content & programme creator. Previously my info was all over the place.
An example of a Notion Database presented in table form
Second, scheduling. I do this on Evernote too, but Notion provides a much better view and versatility in organizing my monthly, weekly and daily tasks. I really love how you can embed pages infinitely and design your own space easily. It gives a very clean and organized look.
Here are some pictures below and my template link here to test it out!
I’m barely skimming the surface of Notion’s capability…but you should definitely try it out, especially if you’re a student, teacher or even a working adult looking to get more organized and productive.
5b. But it comes with a downside. Focus on the essential.
There are disadvantages in advantages. With the sheer versatility Notion has, I got caught up in the non-essential - figuring out how to do progress bars with codes, creating templates and making designs “perfect”. I must admit I got anxious, and very frustrated. Finally I paused, took a step back, and chanted to myself, ‘Focus on the essential Kevin’. Are you striving to be an artist? Or trying to get more organized?
With that break in my obsessive routine, I was clearer headed enough to ask a friend for help instead (duh), and eventually settled with simpler designs that served its purpose. It felt good.
It was a good reminder though. My obsessive, type A personality trait once contributed to a bout of depression. I have to learn to let go at times, and/or outsource things when necessary. If you’re like me and have an obsessive need for perfection…
Learn to let go.
Focus on the essential.
And that is essentially what decluttering is about.
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(I hope you enjoyed this article :) Stay Healthy and Resilient! Feel free to connect with me or subscribe to our channels through links here: Instagram, Podcast, Youtube, Telegram)