Thanks to Marie Kondo, many Canadians are waking up to the benefits of decluttering your home and personal spaces, whether it’s donating those clothes you never wear or streamlining your workspace to make it easier to focus. There’s one other thing that sometimes needs a good organizing too, however, and it might not be immediately obvious. Here’s why you might want to declutter your schedule, too.
It could affect your potential. A cluttered and overcrowded schedule means you’re all over the place. Ironically, this means you get even less accomplished because your attention and efforts are constantly divided. When you’re working on one task, you’re really thinking about another task you forgot to do earlier.
You cut out time for you. A cluttered schedule often means you’re constantly cutting into leisure time. You might opt to eat lunch at your desk while finishing that report you volunteered to take on, instead of taking a walk in the sun. You might decline social invitations. You might find your bedtime slowly creeping later and later. A cluttered schedule means you’re constantly cutting out activities that bring you joy, and as Marie Kondo evangelizes, that’s not in anyone’s best interests.
People around you benefit. If you’re a spouse, parent or caregiver, you’re likely all too familiar with the struggle to balance work and life tasks with parenting or caregiving tasks. Ironically, when your schedule is cluttered, and you’re spread too thin, it’s those people close to you who sometimes suffer the fallout. You might find yourself spending less quality time with them or being impatient and frustrated in their presence.
Whether it’s delegating more tasks at work, taking on less non-essential projects in your spare time or just managing your hours more effectively, decluttering your schedule can make you more productive, give you back hours and allow you to spend quality time with those you love.
