Several months ago, I walked into my living room as I often do, and turned to see a large square glass table with a steadily growing pile of magazines, newspapers, and torn out articles on it.  When passing that table, I had a habit of glancing down and seeing articles I meant to read, but never seemed to get to them.  “I will read these soon,” I kept telling myself.  Since they were next to the couch, choosing an article to read whenever I sat down was convenient.  It sounded like a good strategy at the time. 

Over time, that pile grew from a few articles to approximately a one-foot stack!  It increased gradually, so I didn’t notice the change.  My mind adjusted to the increasing size and accepted that there were articles on the table.  Has that ever happened to you? 

When finally becoming acutely aware of the massive size of the pile, I stopped in my tracks.  “Yikes!”  I did a reality check.  Beginning to survey the rest of my house, I said, “Wow!  This is a wake-up call.  What’s going on here?”  I realized there were other piles in my bathroom and office too. 

I randomly looked at some of the dates and relevance of these articles to my life now.  Some dated back to 2011 and many articles became obsolete.  

Penetrating the situation, I realized and addressed several things, and this is how I manage piles now: 

1. I have a better filing system  🙂 

2. Since I find most topics interesting and want to read them all, I prioritize them by moving those with the most relevant information that will enrich my life and move me towards my goals and self-mastery with the greatest speed to the top.

3. Even though I want to read everything, the reality is I need to carefully choose how I spend my time since I won’t be able to read all the material.  Therefore, I release the urge to keep all this information, “just in case I need it later.”  If I don’t read the articles after 1-2 weeks, I discard it because it means the information is not essential.

4. As soon as I print internet articles or receive magazines via snail mail, I very quickly glance over them.  If they are note-worthy, I prioritize.  If the information isn’t urgent-important or urgent, it goes into the recycling bin.

5. Articles I want to read are located in a single designated area.  The key is discipline and developing the habit to place it in that special location.

6. Time is blocked out in my daily schedule to read all that stuff.  Then, when read, it is either recycled, deleted off my devices, or placed in an assigned file along with other necessary items for future reference.

7. An article needs to be read by a specific date and either filed, it if it is critical, or thrown out.  This practice prevents new piles from being created.

When I removed the piles, I energetically felt I was also releasing previously unconscious and obsolete issues of my past that I was allowing to have a hold on me at some level.  These piles were symbolic of that hold.  Once I threw them out I experienced a deeper sense of calmness, tranquility and mental clarity, as well as accomplishment, by dumping the garbage.  Months later my home and office are still pile free.

A crucial element in transformation and empowerment is the powerful effect your environments (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social are just some of them) have on you, so it is important to keep these environments in the best conditions for optimum performance, well-being, and happiness.  The concept is simple.  When you unclutter your environment, you unclutter your life. 

In a world that provides access to a massive amount of information, it is easy for us to create piles of information that may never be read or utilized.  It is important to have a system to evaluate your priorities, so you maintain focus on designing the life you want and not getting sidetracked, or dragged down by your stuff.

If you relate to what I have written today, this post is to let you know you are not alone, and, there is a way out of all those piles.

Share this post with someone you think it may help.  They will thank you for it.

Have a great day and let me know how you are doing with your piles and anything you have found has helped you stay clear of what I refer to as “the pile syndrome.”

Cheers!

Dr. Chloe