Clutter-Free Day 1- Welcome to the Challenge!

Please remember this Clutter Free Challenge was posted by Glynnis earlier in the year. Any reference to the January dates of the challenge, and the book or gift card giveaways, etc. no longer apply.
Of course you are always welcome to subscribe to Glynnis' blog.

www.glynniswhitwer.com

Thanks for joining us!
Brandy

Clutter-Free Day 1 – Welcome to the Challenge
Posted: 09 Jan 2012 01:00 AM PST

Welcome!

I am SO HAPPY you have decided to join me for a 15-Day Clutter-FREE Challenge.  I’ve been planning, preparing and praying over this for months, and I’m excited to begin.  Today I want to give you an overview of what this challenge will look like.  But first, I want to address what I know is on many of your minds. Maybe you are itching to get started, but if we don’t deal with what’s going on inside of us, we’ll only put bandages on the outside problem of clutter.  I want more for you than a temporary fix.

I know everyone is starting this challenge from a different place of optimism.  Some of you are charged up and ready to tackle the clutter in your lives.  Yet others are so discouraged and defeated, and we haven’t even started. You’ve tried everything, and you are ready to lock up your house and move.   I understand.  I’ve been in both places before.

The truth is, my mind can be my biggest enemy in this battle of the clutter.  I’m sure some of you can relate. We blame and label ourselves.  We compare and discourage ourselves.  We judge and give up on ourselves.  And so today, before giving you any tips, I want to start by praying for God’s truth to replace the lies that have held us back.  You see, this isn’t just a battle of “things,” it’s a spiritual battle.   Please pray with me before reading any more:

 Heavenly Father, You alone know my heart as I start this challenge.  You know the depth of my discouragement and the loss of my hope that I’ll ever be free of the clutter in my life.  So today, as I take this step with Glynnis and other many others, I’m asking for Your help.  Help me have Your perspective on the areas of my life that feel overwhelming.  Clear my mind of the negative chatter.  Protect me from an enemy who wants to confuse and defeat me.  Reveal his lies and replace them with Your truth about my worth and potential.  With Your help I believe I can make progress.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Each time you feel overwhelmed and discouraged remember to pray.  Satan wants you bound; God wants you free.  See the lies for what they are and ask God for His truth.  It’s amazing how empowered you’ll feel when you use the weapon God has offered you – truth.

Now a bit about why I’m doing this challenge. As I was writing my book, “I Used to Be So Organized,” I studied many organization, time management and productivity books.   I read magazines articles on organization and visited many organizing blogs. Everywhere I looked, I found great tips on how to develop efficient systems for organizing. Even with all this information available, much of it free, why do so many people struggle with getting organized?

It actually didn’t take me long to figure this out.  The answer was obvious.  Most of us have too much stuff in too little room – whether it’s our minds, schedules, offices or homes.  There’s just more stuff than we need or can manage.

You see, there is no point in “organizing” stuff that shouldn’t be there in the first place!  And there’s no benefit of trying to get a handle on your schedule if your responsibilities outweigh your resources for getting everything done.

If you’ve got an organization problem, I’ll be brave and at the risk of offending you, say you have too much stuff in your life.  I’ll bet you have stuff stacked, tucked, shelved, boxed and piled around your house.  And the thought of bringing any kind of order to all that stuff overwhelms you.
I know.  I’ve been there. That’s why I don’t want to spend your valuable time telling you to buy more storage bins, filing cabinets, cute baskets or bins.

For now, let’s not think about how we are going to bring order to our stuff.  Let’s just think about getting rid of clutter.  Together we’ll spend the next 15 days working through areas of our lives that tend to feel out of control.  We’re going to simplify.  Doesn’t that sound appealing?

Together we will: assess, categorize, recycle, shred, toss, give away.  It will be like going on a diet, only you can have Starbucks and brownies while you work.  At the end of this challenge, I promise you’ll be lighter.  You’ll have the weight of a messy office, kitchen or bedroom off your shoulders.  You’ll feel unburdened by too many thoughts running through your mind.  You’ll have a lighter schedule and be able to identify your priorities and focus on what’s important.

Our purpose in getting free of clutter is to be freed to do what God is calling us to do.  Clutter in our minds, spirits, time and resources drains us.  It saps our creativity.  It discourages us before we get started.  We are free from clutter to obey.

Thanks for joining me on this 15-day challenge.  And I understand if you can’t get it all done in 15 days.  Just work at it as you can.  Maybe for you it takes 15 weeks.  And that’s okay too.  Just keep moving forward.  We’ll celebrate the little victories together.

Tomorrow I’ll share a spiritual principle that will help bring clarity to your mind.   Everything starts there, and we need to get that area under control first.   Until then …

Grace & Peace,

Glynnis

If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on de-cluttering and getting organized, I hope you’ll consider getting my book, “I Used to Be So Organized.”  Available through Proverbs 31 Ministries, Amazon, ChristianBooks.com or wherever books are sold.   Please note that as of today, there is a short wait to receive my book.  However, I know shipments went out last week from my publisher and shipping time should change soon.