Try This Mid-Year Declutter and Breathe Again

Lighten yourself—mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually

Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava on Pexels

Could you benefit from a mid-year declutter—not just a physical one, but a reassessment of every realm of your life? This could be the reset you need to increase clarity, regain focus, and renew your energy.

Maybe a negative thought pattern has taken up residence in the contours of your brain. Perhaps you’re single-mindedly headed in a direction that once seemed right, but now whispers of doubt cloud your mind. Maybe the tools you once loved have lost their effectiveness, making you less productive.

If you don’t pause and reassess, you could end up in the wrong place or no place—far from the reality of what you truly want.

As the mid-year approached, I found that my planning system was no longer serving me. This realization prompted me to ask, “What else in my life isn’t working optimally?”

As a result, I paused, reassessed, and purged my life of unnecessary, ineffective, and demotivating elements.

I created this template and set of profound questions to make my mid-year declutter effective and meaningful. Feel free to steal it and lighten up your life, too.

7-Part Mid-Year Declutter

Look, you don’t have to do every part of this decluttering process—I didn’t—but I liked making a plan I could use in the future, too.

You can start with one area and, once you accomplish it, move on to another if you wish.

Pick the category that would be the easiest to accomplish. Or pick an urgent area, though it might take more time and energy to address.

Just make it work for you.

1. Goals

You could start with the goals you set at the beginning of the year. We’re not static beings. Just because you set a goal on January 1 doesn’t mean you must achieve it.

Ask yourself:

• What have you accomplished? Celebrate your accomplishments.

• Are my remaining goals still relevant? Is something new and different calling me?

• Am I making progress towards each one? If progress has stalled on any particular goal, why is that? How can I give more attention to that goal? Should I ditch it altogether?

Refresh your goals. Remove the ones that no longer seem relevant.

Updated goals can re-inspire and re-motivate you. They can take you where you truly want to go.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”—Lao Tzu

2. Your Beautiful Mind

Your mind can be your best friend or worst enemy. To make it your best friend requires regular attention and adjustments.

Ask yourself:

• How is my mind? Am I usually calm and grounded or scattered and stressed?

• What mental stories are getting in my way? How will I counter them?

• Where am I giving my time and attention? Is this what I truly value?

If you spend more time on video games than exercising, reading, or achieving your goals, you might want to change that. If you indulge in regular self-talk, cut it out. If you’re constantly stressed, learn stress management.

The mind is pliable. It’s up to you to shape it the way you want.

“You have power over your mind—not external events. Realize this and you will find strength.”—Marcus Aurelius

3. Your Physical Environment

Unless you’re oblivious, your physical environment influences your emotional and mental state. The right environment can help you stay focused and productive. It can also save time and energy.

Everyone’s preferences are different. Some feel held by a cozy space filled with heartfelt memorabilia. Others prefer a zen-like ambiance; I lean this way.

One way is not better. Know what works best for you and arrange your home and work spaces accordingly, when possible.

Ask yourself:

• Do you enjoy your physical environment?

• Does your physical environment support or distract you?

• Has clutter gotten out of hand?

The right changes in your environment can quickly uplift your spirits.

For example, perhaps you only want to add colorful cushions to the couch. Maybe you want to make a home for all your essential items (like keys, eyeglasses, and thumb drives) so they’re not constantly lost. Perhaps you feel frustrated by physical clutter and decide to declutter one important space—your physical desktop, your spice rack, or your medicine cabinet.

You don’t have to reset your entire house at once. Choose a few potent ways to declutter or smart changes that will significantly improve your comfort at home or work.

“It’s the sweet simple things in life which are the real ones after all.”—Laura Ingalls Wilder

4. Your Beautiful Heart

Indulging endlessly in strong emotions can make everything else fall apart.

When you seethe with anger, encase yourself in guilt, or get caught in the comparison, you can end up in hours and even days of pain.

But with self-awareness, you can learn to transform emotions so they don’t impede your life.

Take care of your heart. Check in with it regularly.

Ask yourself:

• How is my heart?

• Do I have unfinished emotional business?

• Are there boundaries to be set or unsaid words that need to be expressed?

Like thoughts, we can also learn how to shape our emotional field. Declutter the emotional baggage, and your energy will soar.

“Every feeling is a field of energy. A pleasant feeling is an energy that can nourish. Irritation is a feeling that can destroy. Under the light of awareness, the energy of awareness can be transformed into an energy which nourishes.”—Thich Nhat Hanh

5. Your Physical Body

It’s easy to neglect the body in pursuit of other goals. But good health can determine whether you have the energy to create the life you want. You may not realize how much you harm yourself by overworking until it’s too late.

Ask yourself:

• Am I getting a good night’s sleep more often than not?

• Do my food habits give me energy or deplete it?

• Does my exercise routine include aerobics and strength training and meet the recommended weekly time requirements?

There are many other ways to care for your health, from flossing to annual physicals to standing up once an hour.

Most importantly, remove negative habits that drain your energy and potentially damage your health. Then, consider replacing them with positive ones.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.” — Jim Rohn

6. Your Digital Domain

Digital clutter can quickly overwhelm and distract. Have you ever searched for an essential e-mail in an overcrowded inbox? What a waste of time!

Ask yourself:

• Am I spending too much time online focused on the unimportant and unnecessary?

• Is it time to clean up my e-mail inbox, clear my computer desktop, or remove unused apps from my digital space?

• Do I need to employ an app that will help me focus and block distractions? What about a digital detox?

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including you.” — Anne Lamott

7. Your Spirit

If you think you die and that’s the end, this section may not be relevant. But even if that’s your firm belief, you may still recognize an inner wisdom that’s helped you repeatedly.

How could you nourish this inner wisdom so clarity became the norm and not an occasional visitor?

Whether you call it soul, spirit, or inner wisdom, your essence must be fed to function as a vital force in your life.

Ask yourself:

• Do I set aside regular quiet time to nourish my spirit?

• Do I look within or seek answers outside myself when I face a challenge?

• Do I need an extended break to renew my spirit?

This body will die. No one knows for sure what will continue after death. But if indeed it might be spirit, soul, or higher consciousness, doesn’t it make sense to care for it now?

“You have the need and the right to spend part of your life caring for your soul. It is not easy. You have to resist the demands of the work-oriented, often defensive, element in your psyche that measures life only in terms of output—how much you produce—not in terms of the quality of your life experiences.”—Jean Shinoda Bolen

Feel Lighter, Freer

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to cast off chunks of the excess that clogs up your life? I found that ditching my previous planning system and adopting one that worked for me made a world of difference.

It’s not just the physical stuff that gets in the way. We must also pay attention to the mental and emotional baggage that weighs us down and blocks us from creating the life we want.

You don’t have to overwhelm yourself with a massive declutter. Just pick one aspect in one area of your life and begin. See if you can make it fun or give yourself a delightful reward once you’ve made a dent.

Imagine the sense of lightness you’ll feel when you declutter the unnecessary, the unhelpful, and the irrelevant. Won’t you naturally want to do more?

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