Is it time to clear out the clutter?
Two hours ago I had no idea what to write you today. If it hadn’t already been several weeks since my last post, I would have taken the opportunity to skip altogether. But given that I’ve bumped this ‘task’ a few Thursdays in a row, I felt an urge to push through.
Which I did by (at first) not doing anything at all…
Instead of drumming up a topic through sheer will, I paused, took some calming breaths, and asked Jesus what I should write about. And then gave myself permission to be patient and listen for as long as it took to be inspired.
It didn’t take long…
Within just a few minutes, words like “noise” and “stuff” and “clutter” came to mind, and I sensed Jesus saying, “Write about that.” Because it’s really been the clutter of this season that has kept me in a left-brain, task-oriented mind space, and stolen some of the precious creative and relational time I value most.
I’m thinking maybe the same could be true for you. too?
If you’re feeling creatively stuck right now, its probably time to take some inventory of the clutter in your life.
For example, is there a lot of visual noise in your surroundings? Are you often in loud or busy places? Do you regularly ruminate about negative things? Clutter takes many forms - like these - and can significantly disrupt your creative flow.
Some other examples may include:
Too many items cluttering your task list, requiring you to sacrifice creativity for productivity
Too many appointments cluttering your calendar stealing necessary margin for rest, recreation, and relationship (which boost creativity)
Too many voices cluttering your social interactions, whether online or in person, triggering temptations to compete, compare or conform
Too many expectations cluttering your mind space, tempting you to spend more time focusing on disappointment than possibility
Not to mention too much LITERAL clutter in the spaces where you live, work and create, making you feel confined, frustrated or simply uninspired.
Reclaiming creative space is just one (intentional) pause away.
That’s what I did about two hours ago now, and if this particular post is helpful to you in any way, I can confidently say it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been intentional about pausing and listening to Jesus. The fact that I now get to check it off my list as just an added little bonus. :)
What clutter will you join me in conquering today?
The good news is you don’t have to figure it all out at once. Just ask Jesus to show you one key area, and then focus your creative energy on tackling it. If you have an ‘aha’ moment along the way, shoot me a note and I’ll celebrate with you. And if you need a little coaching in the process, I’m down for that too.
It’s kinda fun cleaning out clutter, after all, especially when it’s not my own.
For TRUTH…
- cr
