Is there an area of your finances or your life where you’ve got some clutter happening?

Like that bookshelf with a variety of heaven knows what stuffed into it.

Or the dining room table piled up with papers and envelopes. You feel you should get to it, but for some reason, you’re procrastinating.

That box – I know, “Just one?!!” you say – that’s sitting on your office or closet floor waiting for you to deal with it.

Without mentioning your inbox, the closet, and – God help us – the basement.

Let’s tackle ONE thing together

Spring is just a few days away, so what better time to clean up or clear out a single area that is weighing us down?

That’s why I’m launching the 3-Week Financial Spring Cleanup Challenge, starting on the first day of spring: Saturday, March 20th!!

Join my worldwide community of women in tackling one area that causes you stress or fear.

Which part of your financial system or your physical space would give you great satisfaction and joy if you could deal with it, clean it up, or clear it out?

Yes, just one.

I’m a big fan of ONE thing at a time. In fact, it’s part of my Women’s Money Group motto.

Why?

Because multitasking is a myth.

You simply can’t focus on two things at once – not if you want to do a good job of both things, anyway.

If you tell me that you are a unicorn and your brain is wired differently, and you manage to do it all the time, I will point you to a heap of research shredding that belief.

If you want a good starting point, begin with David Rock’s book, Your Brain at Work. Want more? Reach out. I’ll give you a lengthy reading list.

One thing, Ladies. Pick a scary, overwhelming, or cluttered up spot and let’s do this.

Clutter comes in many forms: Case studies

I’ve encountered many interesting examples of clutter as I’ve worked with women over the years. Here’s a small sample.

Brenda:

Had to get her own apartment after the challenging breakdown of her marriage. Two years after moving in, her house was still in a “state of chaos”, as she described it, particularly her home office. More than a dozen boxes were still stacked on the floor and in the closet. She felt the clutter represented her state of mind. She felt stuck, unable to move on.

Tabitha:

Had many forms of clutter in the space that she used to handle her finances: dozens of books, unopened envelopes, old trophies, t-shirts, file folders, and stationery of all kinds. Instead of dealing with it over the years, she kept adding tables and shelves to deal with the overflow. She told me she was afraid to let go of some elements of the past and, separately, she was afraid of what she’d find inside the unopened envelopes.

Lilly:

Had an extremely complex financial system with multiple businesses, investments, loans and other liabilities. There were so many layers that she couldn’t *see* the big picture. She thought this is what she had to do to be successful.

Leanne:

Found herself suddenly having to deal with every single aspect of her finances after her husband’s sudden death. She had never dealt with any of it before. As the mail came in, she tossed it onto the buffet in her dining room, unable to open any of it. She tried, once, but felt so overwhelmed and so stupid that she left everything else right there on the buffet. Watching the pile grow made her feel worse.

Anjali:

Had a collection of boxes under her desk which consisted of financial documents from the past twenty years. The boxes took up so much space that they prevented her from sitting comfortably at her desk. She developed pain in her knees as a result.

Doris (yes, me):

I currently have more than 23,000 emails in my inbox. No, that’s not a typo. Guess what I’m going to be tackling during this challenge?

The huge payoff of dealing with your clutter

All of the names of the women mentioned above have been changed to preserve anonymity except for two: mine and Anjali’s.

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Anjali about her adventures with decluttering. If you missed that interview, which I shared in a previous blog post, you can listen to it here.

What Anjali managed to accomplish through the process of decluttering is simply amazing: massive growth in income, improved health, more satisfying work space, a sense of relief, and greater clarity.

It’s the latter point that is crucial. By having the courage to dig through the boxes of financial documents, Anjali made a big discovery about herself and her financial abilities. She also pinpointed the heart of her financial problems. I won’t spoil it for you. Do listen to the interview to hear the full details. Anjali’s insights are worth the 20-minute investment of your time.

Lilly’s results

Lilly, mentioned above, came to me for private coaching. Initially, the coaching sessions were supposed to be about investing – understanding how it works and making sense of what she has. It soon became apparent, though, that we needed to start at the beginning and “declutter” the intricate financial world she’d created.

We identified the first area to focus on and she got to work, which involved asking herself, “Is this really in my highest, best interest?” and “Is this congruent with my core values?”, pruning, shedding, reorganizing, and rethinking some of her decisions.

A few weeks into the process, she sent me this email (shared with permission):

It was an emotional ride to process what came up for me from our call over the weekend, but well worth it because I feel really clear now on what direction I’m going in and what my steps are.  Thank you for your clarity, questions and no shame/blame/judgement approach while still being a Challenger.   I really really appreciate it, it really benefitted me.

Thank you!!!!

Here’s how the Financial Spring Decluttering Challenge will work

On Saturday, I will launch the Financial Spring Decluttering Challenge to mark the first day of spring. I will launch it with a short video in two spots:

The Women’s Money Group Community Facebook Group – it’s a free, private group for all women; and
The Financial Spring Decluttering Challenge mailing list.

Every couple of days, I’ll share an inspirational message, updates from participants, photos, and short videos to support you in your project.

Let’s see what kind of fun and impressive results we can create together!

What do I mean by impressive? I mean anything that lightens the load for you, builds your confidence, and brings you greater clarity.

The cool thing is that decluttering does all of that – and so much more.

If this resonates with you and your life could do with some decluttering, then join my Challenge! Here’s what you do next:

1. Request to join the Women’s Money Group Community Facebook Group. It’s free and open to all women.

2. Get on the Financial Spring Decluttering Challenge mailing list.

This is the ONLY place you’ll get my inspirational messages and all the updates about the challenge.

Inside scoop: I’m also going to share a Progress Checklist with you – but only for those on the Challenge list.

3. Send me an email or leave a comment in the Facebook group to let me know the ONE thing you’ll tackle during the 3 week Challenge starting on Saturday, March 20th.

I can’t wait to see the results we create together! I’ll see you on the inside.