Archive for December, 2008

What is the 24 Hour Cleanup Project?

I have a problem.

I’ve been going strong on my Extreme Cleaning project for the past few weeks, only to hit a roadblock.

I found myself constantly putting off the deeper, more meaningful physical cleaning that I want to do because of the stuff around me that needed constant, immediate attention:  dishes, laundry, the boxes sitting out, etc.

Since it’s going to be quite a cold day tomorrow with a possible storm tonight, Heidi and I are planning to hole ourselves up in our home and turn off all access to everything.  We are going to take the next 24 hours to focus all of our effort and time to completely and utterly clean up our surrounding area until everything is spotless, in its place, and ready for the deeper cleaning we both have planned…

Preparing for Extreme Cleaning is Just as Important as Extreme Cleaning Itself

If you choose to join me, you can use the opportunity to prepare for a more conscious, deeper cleaning of your physical environment (like Extreme Cleaning), or you can use it as a way to prepare for any New Years Resolutions you may have.

The problem with most New Years Resolutions is not that they are difficult to maintain, but that we are not prepared for them when they come.  Do you think that after a whole day of drinking and partying that you are going to want to start on a resolution the next day?  Maybe, but you probably won’t stick to it.  I know I wouldn’t.

So use this as a time to get ready for a real New Years Resolution, one you will actually keep.  Find out what it is, what you need to do to plan for it, and you can then hit the ground running on January 1st, fully prepared and ready to go.

If you are ready to join me, then log off the Internet starting at midnight tonight, get a plan together to tackle your mess, and get ready for some Now Cleaning.

If you are going to join me, go ahead and Tweet or blog about it, announce it to the world!  Make yourself accountable!

Do it now.

Oh, and make sure to turn off your phones, prepare your food, and get anything else ready so you have no excuse to be distracted.

Happy cleaning,

~ JS

With Extreme Cleaning comes Extreme Circumstances.

I knew, from experience, that cleaning out my life always brings unexpected changes, but now that I am diving deeper than ever before, I’m experiencing some incredible events.  Painful and pleasurable.

One thing for sure is happening:  growth.

The Biggest Mistake Most People Make When Organizing

After years of cleaning out my life I’ve realized one very important lesson.  It took this exercise of Extreme Cleaning to really “get it”.

Before I tell you that lesson, I want to mention that I’ve read, taken notes on, and categorized just about every single book on organizing your physical and informational life imaginable.  I’ve tried all these tricks, tips, and techniques…with minimal to moderate results.

I’m no organizational newbie.

Even though I did receive certain positive results from each of these books and articles, the biggest single oversight that these organizational “experts” are missing is that organizing is more than just shuffling your crap around.

Some books and philosophies are better than others.  Some are smart enough to tell you that you have to really go through all your stuff and make some tough decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.  Emotions will come up.

But after years of monkeying around with these organizational tools and techniques, it’s taken me this process of Extreme Cleaning to realize that you should never have to truly organize your life very often, if done properly.  If you do this process of Extreme Cleaning properly, the rest is just maintenance…better known as “shuffling stuff around”.

Extreme Cleaning is a life changing process.

If you really get into the heart of this, you’re going to start asking the tough questions.  Questions like “What does this thing I have say about me?”  “What am I organizing for?”  “Who do I want to be?”  “Who am I, really?”

This is really about digging through the crap that society has programmed you to purchase and “own” and finally getting down to the core of yourself.  That’s right folks, modern society is doing everything it can to prevent you from discovering your true self and making sure you keep buying and using and buying and using.  No, this isn’t some grand conspiracy theory, it’s capitalism.  Nothing wrong with a free market economy, but you’ve got to be smarter than the people selling you the things you want.  Ask yourself:  “Will this item truly enhance my life?”

Each thing that you bring it requires your most precious asset:  attention.  Not time, not money, not space…attention.

You must decide what it is, where it goes, how to use it, how to maintain it, how it should be stored, cleaned…the list goes on and on.  Multiply this by the thousands of items you have and your true life and purpose can easily get buried in just paperclips and forks alone!

Stripping it All Down

I’m going to leave it at that for now, but realize that this procedure is designed to strip you down to the absolute base of who you are.  Most people may think you are crazy and run screaming from the idea of questioning every single thing they own, every single thought they still hold, and every single thing that is a part of their lives.

Don’t trick yourself into thinking you’re going to “get organized” someday.  That will never truly happen.

Strip yourself down, Extreme Clean your life, and get ready to Live the Best Life Ever.

~ JS

Action Steps You Can Take:

• Get your immediate surroundings cleaned up now.  Don’t get caught up in maintenance mode quite yet.
• Throw or give something away that makes you uncomfortable.  Strengthen that part of you.
• Create a Life Purpose statement.  More on that later.