Proven Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Focus On What Matters
Feeling overwhelmed lately? You're not alone. Life moves fast—too fast sometimes. Between work, family, relationships, and a never-ending list of to-dos, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. In fact, studies show that most people spend over two hours a day just thinking about what they should be doing. I was definitely one of those people.
But here’s the thing: what I've found is clarity isn’t as far away as it feels. It’s not about adding more to your plate; it’s about clearing the clutter. What if I told you that reconnecting with your true priorities is more about what you don’t do than what you do?
You don’t need a fancy retreat or hours of meditation (but if that’s your thing, great!). What you need is to shift your focus. Let’s talk about how to cut through the noise and start zeroing in on the things that really matters.
Start by grabbing your journal and answering these questions to gain clarity on what's important to you.
Identify your values. What is important to you? What do you believe in? Make a list. Once you know your values, you can start to make choices that align with them.
Set goals. What do you want to achieve in your life? Having goals will give you something to strive for and help you stay focused. I set 3 goals each year and 3-5 big life goals to accomplish every 5 years. This helps me stay on track and always have a guide for designing my life.
Create a plan. What do you want to happen? What is the most beautiful story you can imagine for your life? I answer these two questions with specifics. By year end, I want to . My vision for life over the next 5 years involves . Then, I prepare to put the plan in motion by asking myself the final big question: How can I use my time better to create this life?
Now that you have a plan, ready to declutter and focus on what matters? Let's get into it!
Step 1: Create Daily Rituals for Mental Clarity
Simple practices like journaling for 5 minutes, reading a few pages of a book, stretching, or taking a walk can help reset your brain and clear mental clutter. I read for 20 minutes, write 3 pages and take a walk every day. It helps me start each day on a positive note and aligns with my goals of becoming a writer and having a healthy lifestyle.
Step 2: Slow Down and Design Your Schedule
Audit your calendar and cut out commitments that don’t serve you. Create time each day for doing things that bring you joy or get you closer to your goals. Also, it's OK to have downtime. In fact, it’s necessary!
Step 3: Use the 90/90 Rule
If you haven’t used, worn, or even thought about it in the last 90 days—and don’t plan to in the next 90—let it go. Donate, sell, or toss it. Less stuff equals less stress.
Step 4: Declutter Your Digital Life
Clean up your inbox, organize your files, and unfollow accounts that don’t add value to your life. If social media is draining or makes you feel bad, take a break or cut back entirely. Your digital space can create just as much mental clutter as physical things.
Step 5: Start Small Doing One Thing at a Time
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change everything at once. Start with one small habit you want to add, one room to organize, one social media account to audit, or one inbox to declutter. It feels slow at first, but momentum builds quickly once you see progress.
Step 6: Set Clear Priorities (3 Max)
Each week, write down your top three non-negotiable tasks. Focus on getting those done first before allowing distractions to creep in. More isn’t better, focus is. If the task seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller steps to accomplish throughout the week.
Step 7: Make Time to Connect
Take time to quiet the noise and reconnect with the real world around you. Get out of your own head, be present, and spend time with people who inspire and motivate you to focus on what matters. It's so easy to get distracted, but making time for people you love will help you feel supported and energize you.
By making small but intentional changes, you can cut through the clutter—both in your surroundings and in your mind—and start living with more clarity and focus. Whenever things get hectic or the world tries to distract me, I read over my vision and ask myself if how I'm using my time is getting me closer to the beautiful life I want to create.
If you ever feel lost, take a moment to revisit your journal entry and refocus on what truly matters. To consistently stay on track, you may need a reminder. That’s where our Weekly Planner comes in—it’s designed specifically for intentional living!
With this planner, you can set a yearly goal and break it down into manageable steps, then tackle your top three priorities each week. The My Daily 30 section helps you create a focused daily plan, while the gratitude list reminds you to reflect on what’s going right. It’s more than just a planner—it’s your go-to tool for staying centered and focusing on what truly matters.
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