I often write about clutter busting a person's living space. But I like to expand the boundaries of home to include wherever we are, not just necessarily where we live. Whether we're standing in line, driving in a car, being at work, or visiting a friend -- whatever we're doing outside of our home, I like to consider that our home.
I like to extend the boundaries because it allows us to consider how we're feeling in any situation. Am I comfortable here? Is there anything here that's making me feel uncomfortable? Is there something I can do to change it? Do I need to leave this space?
It's bringing in that clutter-busting curiosity to any situation that we're in. It's saying that your whole life is important, not just where you live. And it's considering your comfort, wherever you go.
I'm working on plans for my trip. I'm giving a talk Wednesday night at Banyen Books in Vancouver, BC. A radio station called to ask whether they could interview me Wednesday night. I told them about the bookstore talk, and they asked if they could talk with me on the phone for 15 minutes just before I gave my bookstore talk.
A part of me felt pinched; there was some discomfort. I really need the time before I give a talk to have quiet time, so I come from a good place when I'm talking to a room full of people about clutter busting. I usually go off by myself and sit quietly until it's time for the talk to begin.
I want to publicize my book, but at the same time this interview was clutter for me because I would have been compromising myself. It wouldn't have served me. I would have been a little tired and not as well-focused.
So I said, "No." It felt very quiet after that. That's how I know I've made a good clutter-busting decision. The pinched feeling goes away, and things are quiet. Things are okay again.
I think we can bring this clutter-busting radar into our lives in any kind of situation. It's giving yourself permission to take a look through your whole life. As we learn to do this, we bring our home with us wherever we go.