The Clutter Fairy Weekly #171
Rethink and Reframe Your Clutter Language: The Power of Words 2
The way we talk about our stuff is a clue to the undercurrent of feelings and experiences that influence our choices. Words like “useful,” “mess,” and “shame” are loaded with history, meaning, and judgment for each of us, and they can contain the power to keep us stuck or move us forward. In episode #171 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, examines words we use to describe our clutter and suggests how to reframe language for a clearer insight into our stuff and our lives.
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The Weekly Tittle is an exercise designed to focus your attention on a specific space, aspect, or challenge of decluttering and organizing your home. We assign a new tittle in each webcast/podcast, then check on your progress the following week.
Recite, Reflect, Reframe!
This week’s assignment is to spend time thinking about the language we use to talk about our lives and our stuff, with the goal of talking in a clearer, more thoughtful, and more self-supportive way:
- Recite: What negative things do you casually or habitually say about (or even to) your stuff? Write down or record audio or video of a few words, phrases, or statements that you’ve heard yourself using.
- Reflect: Contemplate or meditate on what these expressions reveal about your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about your home and belongings. Are they honest? Exaggerated? Self-deprecating? Do they echo a negative opinion that someone else has expressed?
- Reframe: For each negative word or phrase on your list, write or dictate an affirmation or positive sentiment as a counterpoint. For example, if you wrote “I’m a disorganized person,” you might replace that statement with, “I have a full, meaningful, active life, so sometimes I struggle with organization.”
For the full discussion of this week’s tittle, watch the Weekly Tittle segment on YouTube.
Tittles’ #171 into 172.
TikTok. Reset my clock. Start every 15 minutes x 3 sessions, keeping me focused, then take a break…
“What a mess”. “I’m so ashamed”. Struggling with decisions to organize/clear my “mess” do not = “Who I Am”?
Just stop unpacking the old, icky; painfully depreciating inner language.
Now = “Who Am I”?
More than “the” mess…Kind. Capable. Faithful. Able. and yes, alone yet aware. Less risk of failure so I started
with my spices layered in multiple locations in my kitchen.
I discovered such fun was had by simply organizing them all in one place! Experienced a growing sense of inner power.
Strong with Excitement as I spoke out loud new words/language. I seek to no longer unpack the depreciating feelings/thoughts/sayings to myself within that old language.
This is really hard and very scary as I am packing up then moving out the “mess” because “I Am” moving back in.
TikTok…Resetting My Clock! Thank you. Gayle, Ed and All. Marsh.