Today we're gonna be talking about decluttering, which is a favorite of mine. I often talk about decluttering your daily routines and choosing more toxin-free, and that's probably why you're here. This one is going to be a little bit more on the personal side of things, just talking about how eliminating things from your life can actually open you up to more.

Sometimes we are so set in our ways that we have a hard time thinking about what could be. 

I had a career in public health working for the state government for close to 15 years, but I was never truly happy. Yet, it was so hard to leave. I was always searching for more, I was always looking for a way to have a bigger impact. But I felt like I had to keep that job. It had good benefits, it had a good retirement plan, the income was pretty okay. But I felt completely unfulfilled. 

I was writing speeches and presentations for the head of our agency and he would give them to the legislature or maybe it was a fundraiser for a disease specific group like asthma, or maybe something about lead and how it impacts kids, that sort of thing. So I would create these speeches and presentations, and he would give the presentations, but I would do all the research and behind the scenes stuff. And I really liked it. My background in public health was really on the prevention side and I got to share this message of public health and the importance of taking care of ourselves and improving our environment. A lot of what I did then is very similar to what I do now and that is taking complicated health information and making it digestible and easy to understand for everyday people. I did that for many years in my career, and I'm still doing it today. 

When I quit, it was because my job changed overnight. Everyone in my agency basically had to change our jobs, because the focus of what we used to do completely changed, because we had to focus on COVID. I went from writing these really interesting speeches to trying to figure out how we could have swimming pools or stores open during COVID. This was way before we knew, really anything about COVID and it just wasn't what I wanted to do. At the same time, I was working way more hours than I ever had and also my kids were at home, and I was trying to help them with online school. It just was not a good time. I'm not big on change and also, it took a while for me to convince my husband that we could make it if I quit. But through a lot of personal work, from meditation to journaling, to reading, to listening, to working with a life coach, I have really come to learn some things and have the confidence to leave my job and start my own business.

So initially, I dove headfirst into my business, and I focused all of my time on it. Growing my online store, starting the podcast, all those things. But then I found that I was still needing a little bit more to make ends meet. Things weren't  happening quite as fast as I wanted to with my business. I was talking with some friends about just wanting a little bit more and my one friend who has an interior design business, she said “Megan, come work with me. I don't know how it's gonna work out, but we'll figure out a way.” 

I’m sharing this story because I'm talking here about decluttering your life and giving things up so that you can find more. I gave up a job and also kind of decluttered emotionally from what I thought could be with my business and I decided to release that control and let it be what it’s going to be.  If I had not let that career job go and if I hadn't opened up that space emotionally for what could be with my business, I would not be where I am today, which is working for my friend and learning the interior design business.

There are days when I am, let's say working on a kitchen cabinet layout plan and I am with my ruler and I am sketching out what the kitchen is going to look like, and I think how lucky I am to be getting paid for this work. I absolutely love it.

We always  think about decluttering the stuff that we own. But you also can think about it in different ways and declutter areas of your life so that you have the “space” to embrace something new.

Relationships- So maybe there's a friend, you have that when you leave the time that you have together, you just don't feel good, you just don't feel like it was time well spent. Or maybe this person just makes you not feel good about who you are, or the fact that you're spending time with them. I think all of us have been in those relationships before where we are friends because of circumstance, or because you happen to connect and the relationship just continues even though it’s not really serving either person. If you decide this friendship isn't serving you anymore, you can create a really healthy boundary around that relationship. Decide to see that person in group settings, but don’t engage and spend time with that person one on one. Letting go of that friendship will open you up to different and better relationships in your future.

Declutter your mental and emotional space- With my job, I just kept beating my head against a wall. I kept telling myself all the reasons I should stay. I went to school for this. Every time I have a review from a boss, I'm told I'm very good at what I do. I was working so hard to try and like it and really, it just was not the right thing for me. I've been working with my friend, the interior designer for less than a year, and it comes so naturally to me and is so rewarding. I love doing it. But I really needed to be in pace to receive that opportunity by clearing my emotional and mental blockages that I was carrying. The things that I have done that have really helped me with this are journaling, yoga and meditation. Also taking walks but without music, without a podcast, without a book. Just quiet walks by myself, time to reflect. I think that this emotional and mental space is so important. So thinking about decluttering that mental space so that you can open yourself up to thoughts and to opportunities that you've maybe never thought possible.

Declutter your time- If you are one of those people that is a yes person, and you always say yes to helping out, to volunteering, to being on a board, you definitely need to think about how you can declutter your time. If something is just too much or it's too overwhelming, say no, and take some of your time back. Then you will have the time to be fulfilled in some other way that you may have no idea is coming. If you own your own business, maybe there's something that you offer in your business that isn't serving you anymore, you could just stop offering that. Or volunteer jobs. Say you're on a board and it's just become a chore. It's something that you feel obligated to do, but you don't really love it anymore. It's okay to say no and to stop doing that. You can also maybe cut back your hours at your job, or think about a way that you can make your job work better within the time that you have. When I had little kids I worked my schedule so that I could be as efficient as possible. I was at work from 7 to 3:30, because I knew if I was there during the main hours of 9 to 5, that I would get stuck talking to people and I wouldn't get my work done. My priority was being with my kids so I would work those early hours, so that I could pick them up from school and have those afternoon hours with them. I may not have eliminated the hours that I was at work, but I changed my timing so that I could be more fulfilled and other ways.

Maybe you want to declutter your time by asking for more help, whether that's from your partner or your kids, or hiring out help. You know, there's so much to be said for not being the do-it-all mom, because we can't do it all. I am a big proponent of having your partner help with grocery shopping or picking up the kids. And really, it's not helping, they're just doing their job too. Because as a partnership, you should both be doing the kid raising and the home management together. No, it may not always be equal, but it should be a partnership together. As women we just take it all on and then we sit there with this angst or maybe anger or resentment. But really, the gist of it is that you are just exhausted from doing it all. So when your neighbor says “Hey, I'm going to Trader Joe’s. Do you need anything?” Say “Yes! Can you get me some eggs, some milk and some apples?” It’s ok to say yes.Maybe it's hiring someone to help with the cleaning or maybe it's someone to do the yard maintenance because your weekends are busy and full with taking your kids to soccer and all the things. Decluttering your time leaves your schedule open for something that serves you.

Finally of course you can declutter your physical space. Pull the things that you don't like anymore and then you're going to have space for the things that you love, because you've gotten rid of those things that you just don't love anymore. How good does it feel to have that empty space, knowing that you let something go that maybe you had an emotional attachment to but it didn't make you feel good? Like for example, maybe you'll have a treadmill in your garage that you haven't used for years. And every time you're in your garage and you see that treadmill, all you think is how you should be using it and you’re not healthy or good at keeping up with exercise. You're telling yourself all these bad things, because you're seeing that treadmill. Get rid of it and it will open you up to possibilities for something different. Maybe you sell it for $500 and then you invest that money into some sort of other exercise that you absolutely love, like a yoga membership or personal training. Giving up those physical things and making physical space in your home and in your environment can open you up to more opportunities down the road. Another idea for decluttering your physical space is to move furniture within your home, and maybe get rid of a piece to make your area not so crowded. In interior design, we often go into people's homes, and because we're an outside viewer we can see when there’s too much furniture. It’s a great idea to bring a friend in to help you because we live in our environment every single day. And whether it's our clothes, our closet that is bursting at the seams or whether it's furniture in our home that maybe we should get rid of, or donate, having a friend coming in and giving that outside perspective can be really helpful. 

This is something that I think about a lot. It helps me stay grounded and helps me prioritize what's really important in my life. Continuously asking myself questions like: Do I really need this? Can I get rid of it? And when I've done that, I've realized that it's opened me up to so many other things. It doesn't have to be just about decluttering your closet, it can really be about decluttering your relationships, your physical space, your mental and emotional space and your time. 

I would love to hear about what areas of your life you’re working on decluttering. Follow me on Instagram @themganmikkelsen or email me at megan.detox.design. You can also join in the discussion in our Facebook Community Toxin-Free Talk.

Thanks for helping me make this planet happier and healthier one step at a time.