Have you ever looked around your room and wondered how things got so messy so fast? Even if your room was just cleaned, things can escalate quickly when it comes to clutter. One outfit you took off that ended up on the floor in a pile becomes 5 by the end of a school week. An unmade bed leads to you throwing your backpack and your phone and your AirPods and some textbooks all over it as well. And inevitably you will spend 10 extra minutes tomorrow morning looking for those AirPods before class. The same issue can happen with desk chairs, bathroom counters, and every single flat surface in a kitchen (but usually that’s your roommate’s fault).
Clutter, or said a different way — unmade decisions, leads to more clutter in the spaces we live in, but it also happens in our schedules, our relationships and our thought patterns. (Read more about that and the College Cycle here — you’re probably nearing the overwhelm/burnout phase at this point in the semester). Simplicity is getting rid of the things that don’t matter in order to create space for the things that do matter. And it can be hard to know what actually matters to us until we get a little space in our lives to figure it out.
Trade Clutter for Simplicity
When we trade clutter for simplicity in our lives, it requires something of us. Often times it is hard to get rid of things — physical things but also commitments, thoughts or ideas we have about ourselves or what is important, even relationships that aren’t serving us anymore. But on the other side of these hard decisions, we are met with simplicity which creates space and calm. The opposite of clutter. Just like our apartments and dorm rooms that can feel completely new after a declutter — so can the rest of our lives (only these parts usually take a bit more time to see the benefits).
Simplicity is getting rid of the things that don’t matter in order to create space for the things that do matter. And it can be hard to know what actually matters to us until we get a little space in our lives to figure it out.
Picture your life with a little space. Imagine you don’t have too much on your plate every day. You’re not defined by constantly running from one thing to the next. When not only the place you live feels tidy and in order, but your schedule and relationships feel in order as well. When you simplify, you can order your life around your priorities, because you have the time and the space to figure out what actually matters most to you.
Start with something simple
Just as clutter attracts more of itself, so does simplicity. Start with your room, or a bathroom drawer or an item in your calendar. Here are a few simple places to start. See how it feels and go from there!
And if you’re interested in simplifying your college semester, connecting for some one-on-one coaching or learning how to actually plan your semester around your priorities, reach out to us (hello@simplycollege.org)! We’d love to connect with you!
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