Common questions we aren’t asking enough:

• Why am I in debt?
• Why am I unhappy?
• Why can’t I get along with …?
• Why I am working a job that makes me miserable?
• Why don’t I exercise regularly?
• Why am I tired?
• Why am I fat?
• Why did I settle?
• Why don’t they like my idea?
• Why do I put up with that?
• What has to change?

There are others. We all have questions, but asking them rocks the boat, makes us uncomfortable. Asking the question admits things aren’t all kittens and rainbows. Sometimes we feel guilty asking the question. Shouldn’t we be happy already? Do we deserve to be happy when there is so much suffering? Isn’t this enough?

Once the question is asked out loud, then comes accountability, action, outcomes we can’t predict. Yikes. Sounds easier to sit in front of the TV and worry about that handsome doctor’s problems instead.

I get that you don’t have time to sit around and ponder the meaning of life all day long. Good. Don’t do that. But ask 1 soul shaking question. Say it out loud, put it on paper and be open to the answers.

How to ask the Soul Shaking Question

1. Make a soul shaking appointment. Clear a little time on your calendar. (not while you are waiting for another appointment or eating lunch). This is important and deserves your full attention.

2. Prepare intentionally. Create space and time to honor your commitment. You scheduled a block of time. Now clean a table top or small area to work. Have a pen and notepad or sheet of paper ready. Turn off your phone and other distractions.

3. Clear your head. Before you sit down, go for a walk or do a simple meditation. Quiet your mind, release your anxiety and be ready to do the work.

4. Go there. Sit down alone and write down your soul shaking question or questions. It’s best to start with one, but be prepared for others to follow. Begin to answer your questions. If you notice you are going to the easy answer first, keep going. That might be part of the problem solving but it’s not the answer. Keep going. Go there.

5. Listen to the answers. You said the answers out loud and wrote them on paper. Don’t dismiss them. Listen to them.

6. Respond to the answers. Things aren’t about to get easier. In fact, things might get ugly before they get pretty. Your response will demonstrate your power. Your response will demonstrate your strength and commitment. Your character and soul will shine through your response.

7. Lower your expectations. You’ve asked the soul shaking question. You answered, listened and responded. Why aren’t things better now? They are. Just a tiny bit. You’ve made a choice. It may have taken you years to ask the question so don’t expect a resolution over night. It will take time. It will take help. It will take all that you have. Give it.

These soul shaking questions and answers will scare you. They will taunt you. They will make you shake your head in denial. And then, when you’re ready, the soul shaking answers will inform your next move and change your life.

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What about your inner clutter? The emotional baggage? The what ifs and if onlys? The why mes? What can you do about that voice inside your head that never lets you fully move forward.

Let’s face it, stress kills. Stress causes or exacerbates disease. Stress makes us sad and anxious.

One of the greatest causes of stress is inner clutter. It’s hashing through things that have already passed or have yet to happen. The worry and angst that you put yourself through will kill you. If it doesn’t literally kill you, it will kill the person you want to be. The person you deserve to be. The person we deserve to know. The person you are.

The most obvious forms of inner clutter include guilt, regret, judgement, overwhelmedness, bitterness, fear and worry. There are others, but most come back to a form of these. They may be a part of life, but they don’t have to be an ongoing part of life. You can release yourself from this inner clutter.

How to Kill Inner Clutter

Responsibility
Isolate your inner clutter and take responsibility. If you live with daily guilt, ask why? Is there something you can do right now to apologize or fix what you’ve done? If you identify that you haven’t done anything wrong, perhaps guilt is not yours to feel after all. Will a note or call of apology change the past. No, but it can change the present. Accept responsibility for your fear and anxiety and admit that it’s been holding you back. Only then can you begin to work on a solution. If you are angry, sad, scattered or worried for no identifiable reason, accept that too, and ask for help.

Gentleness
You can accept responsibility, even for something you’ve been holding onto for years without the harsh words and critique that you think you deserve. You served your time. Remind yourself that you cannot change the past and revel in the idea that today you will change. Today you will do the right thing. Praise your progress.

Awareness
When you are short tempered, or angry about something silly, pay attention. There is something behind that needless arguement or harsh word. What is it? It’s tempting to put the blame somewhere else but if you can be aware of your actions, you can begin to take responsibility.

Do it Anyway
Your feelings and emotions can stop you in your tracks. They’ll tell you that you aren’t good enough. They will tell you not to bother. They will tell you that it’s too hard and really scary. So what? Do it anyway. You can quiet your mind with action and purpose.

Let Go
You failed. You disapointed. You hurt someone. You can’t fix it. If that is the case, it’s time to recognize your mistakes and let them go. Holding onto the pain isn’t making anything better. Instead, it’s getting in the way of your lovely life. If you woke up today, you have an incredible opportunity to live a brand new day. Take it. Run with it. Make the very most of it.

Engage
We are a society of multi-taskers, but we can only really think one thought at a time. Find something you are amazingly interested in. Learn a new skill. Make new friends. Help people. Jump in and give it your energy and focus. Dismiss your past transgressions, not through denial but through purposeful attention to something meaningful. When you are thoughtfully engaged in something that matters, you don’t have time to judge and assume. You won’t have the energy to torment yourself for the things you did or didn’t do.

It’s time to stop thinking you can make up for what you did wrong by punishing yourself. It’s time to stop punishing others for what you think they might have done wrong. They are punishing themselves. Don’t ignore bad behavior. Don’t forget misguided actions but forgive them, let them go, and start living. If you need help, seek it.

You don’t need to be reminded that this life is a short one. It is short, but it is also glorious, lovely, deep and moving.

So go on, move and be moved.

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That said, if you don’t engage with purpose, all of those amazing benefits will turn to distraction, frustration and a black hole of mindless reacting. It is also easy to start measuring your self worth in terms of subscribers, followers, friends and word count. All of those things are meaningless.

Follow these rules for a more enjoyable, efficient, honest digital experience.

Twitter
This is my favorite tool to connect with people for business and pleasure.

• Don’t follow everyone that follows you or you will spend all of your Twitter time reacting.
• Instead of asking for retweets, share something that people feel compelled to share.
• Set a time limit when you go to twitter.
• Share something helpful.
• Ask questions and answer questions.
• Have a conversation. With people.
• Don’t watch for updates or for people to mention you.
• When 20 minutes are up, sign out.

Facebook
I have a personal Facebook account with fewer than 50 friends. My close friends and family are on this list and no one else. For a while I connected with more people, but knew there was a problem when I was looking at a “friend’s” vacation pictures who I hadn’t talked to in more than 20 years, while my vacation pictures were still on an SD card.

• don’t answer the question “what’s on your mind”. Somethings are better left unsaid.
• set a time limit. 20 minutes is usually enough.
• thoughtfully engage.
• Have conversations. With people.

Skype.
This is an awesome tool to chat via video or audio. It’s free for Skype to Skype calls and very inexpensive to use as a phone line to call land lines or mobile phones.

• Don’t assume that because someone is “on Skype” they want to talk.
• Send a text chat through Skype and ask “is this a good time?” Even better, set an appointment. That shows you value your time and theirs.
• Set your status to “away” or “invisible” if you are on another call or otherwise engaged.

Unsubscribes
If you currently receive an email when someone unsubscribes from your mailing list, or twitter feed, or facebook page, stop that. Pay attention to the overall trend of the numbers, but not the individual unsubscribes. When you are following someone that isn’t adding value to your life or digital experience, unfollow.

Notifications
Unless you are transporting organs for transplants, you don’t need immediate notifications about anything. You can find what you need to know on your own time. When it matters. If it matters. Notifications are distractions.

• Turn off notifications. All of them.
• Your phone shouldn’t remind you that you have email.
• The first thing you see when you open your computer doesn’t have to be an announcement of who is on or off Skype.
• You don’t need an email to tell you who subscribed and who unsubscribed from anything.
• Birds don’t need to chirp when someone mentions you on Twitter.

Blog Reading
There is some amazing information being written and recorded and shared, but you don’t need to consume all of it.

• Instead of scanning 30 blog posts a day, thoughtfully read 5 a week.
• Engage, comment, or share something special that you read instead of catching up or keeping up with 100′s of posts in your blog reader.
• Most reading material is not time sensitive. Set aside an hour each week to read your favorite blogs, instead of squeezing them in between tasks.

Email
If you’ve ever spent a work day sending and receiving email and wondering why nothing got done, these rules will help.

• Follow my 5 rules for email sanity.
• Don’t check email first thing in the morning. Do the things that mean most to you first, instead of reacting to what is important to everyone else.
• Limit email engagement to a few times a day instead of checking every few minutes to see if you have mail.

These are the rules I follow. They aren’t the rules. Make them your own and modify them to work better for you. The point is that you are thoughtfully engaging. Understand that everytime you tweet, or post or hit publish, you are asking for someone’s attention. If you value people, and their attention, you’ll begin to share meaningful information and to share less.

Always keep in mind that followers, readers, friends, and stangers who email you are people. Clients, prospects and leads are people. Treat them like people.  If you want to develop personal friendships online, think of other people when you share information. If you want to be successful in business, think less about strategy and more about people.

Last, but not least, please don’t follow any of these rules in your car. The most important thing you can do when you’re driving is drive. Turn your phone off when you get in your car. (unless you transport organs for transplants)

If you scanned through this post and missed most of the rules above, just follow these  3 rules of engagement:
Be kind. Solve problems. Make someone smile.

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Everything I own fits in a suitcase, except my surfboards. I love country music and the freedom that comes from owning very few things. My name is Chase Miller and I am a minimalist teenager.

My journey of minimalism began 3 years ago at the beginning of summer. I had just finished school for the year and decided it was time to clean out and re access what I owned. I was sick of seeing my closet full of stuff I didn’t use and clothes I didn’t wear. I made a goal of selling or donating everything that I didn’t use or that wasn’t important to me.

The biggest motivation for me came from reading the various Minimalist blogs. The writers had something I wanted; being content and happy with what you have. You could tell through their articles that they were truly enjoying life with less; not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

It wasn’t that my room was packed full of stuff. In fact I was already the cleanest person in my family; but my way of looking at life changed. I didn’t want to be tied down by what I owned or always be focused on having the latest or greatest. There is something freeing about knowing you could easily pack up and move if needed; that you could travel the world and not worry about your possessions.

It took time to change my way of thinking and downsize what I own. I will be the first to admit that it did not happen overnight, but over time I started to realize how little I needed.

This was my action plan:

• Clean Sweep – I took everything out of my room and only put back things I used on a regular basis. Everything else got donated or sold on Craigslist.
• Simplified my Clothing – got rid of clothes with big logos because I didn’t want to be a walking advertisement. I then bought solid colored T-Shirts and basic jeans, which make up a large majority of my wardrobe.
• Daily Choice – Everyday I make a choice to focus on what I have, rather than what I want and in reality don’t need.

I think the biggest misconception about minimalism is that you essentially live with nothing; from your most treasured possessions to your clothes, everything goes. It’s the complete opposite, its merely being content with less. I am the only minimalist in my family. While they have been very supportive, they tend to hang on to stuff for longer. Personally I don’t mind as I realize minimalism is a personal choice and not for everyone.

Minimalism hasn’t affected my relationships with friends, as I don’t really talk about it. However, many people do notice and make comments about how clean my car is. My parents love the fact that I am a minimalist because they never have to ask me to clean my room or anything of that nature.

How I am different than the average teenager:

• I buy clothes without emblems or logos because I do not feel the need to be a walking advertisement
• Traveling is easier because I usually just bring a carry on with everything I need for the week
• I am not going to a high cost university even though I was accepted because I have decided against taking out student loans. Instead, I plan to take advantage of the great community colleges that are in the surrounding areas.
• I have more money to spend on important items or experiences because I am not constantly buying unneeded things.

Minimalism shapes your future by helping you focus on the right things in life. I think the biggest thing for me is spending time on things that are important; things like traveling, spending time with friends and capturing life through photography.

If you are a teenager considering becoming a minimalist, I would suggest giving it a shot as it will become much harder if you wait until you are an adult. And if you don’t like it, you can always refill your life with useless things.

Chase Miller is a High School student from Orange County, CA. He loves to surf, travel, tweet and catalog life through photography.

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Wonder is defined as:

to think or speculate curiously or to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel

To be wonder-full is a combination of both. Be curiously amazed or think through things with admiration or awe. Marvel in your questions and your answers.

10 ways to be wonder-full

try something new
It can be a challenge to break out of a comfortable routine and try something new, but adding a new experience to your life teaches you about what you like and don’t like, and informs future decision making. You may even uncover a passion you didn’t know existed.

be childlike
Jump in puddles. Ask why (over and over again). Roll around laughing. Remind yourself that life can be important without being too serious.

do something scary
Push your limits and question fear. Something scary doesn’t have to be jumping out of a plane. It could be thinking about a new business, going to a yoga class for the first time or talking to someone you’ve never met before.

meet people
Be open to the fact that everyone has something to offer. Different backgrounds, cultures and life experiences gives each of us a unique point of reference and frame of mind. One way is not right or wrong or better or worse. It’s just different. Learn from those differences by asking questions and learning about other people.

daydream
Let your mind wander with wonder. What would happen if…? Wouldn’t it be crazy if I did…? I wonder if I could collaborate with… and then…? Put your day dreams on paper and develop one. Don’t shut yourself down or unprioritize because you are busy. These day dreams are important and can be life changing.

learn
Take a class or course. Read blogs and books. Enjoy discovering and dig for treasure as you learn about something that you didn’t know before. Then, if you love what you’ve learned, teach it to someone else.

grow something
My sister gave me a “year of seeds” with 12 packets of flower seeds, instructions, and a little pot for each. I planted Impatiens about 10 days ago, and have been watching this little pot every day. I’ve seen 3 seeds sprout and one has grown about 2 inches tall and formed tiny leaves. I know that other people have grown things before, but to grow one thing and learn from it every day nothing short of awe-inspiring. Noticing beauty, resilience, and power in this little plant is wonder-full.

journal
a journal doesn’t have to be a record of your life or a diary of your day. It could, but it could also just be a place to empty your head, capture ideas, and wonder about what what you wrote and what you’ll write tomorrow. Some of the best ideas and questions come from writing about the everyday stuff.

visit the ocean
The ocean is bigger than all of your problems and no matter what, the water comes in and the water goes out. Salt, sand and water is just the beginning of an ocean experience. When you really get curious, and dig into wonder-fullness, you can start to think about the world below the waves. Life in the ocean flows without knowledge of time, money or stuff.

read
Opening a book is a commitment to learn about a new point of view, or experience. Reading is entertainment, inspiration and information all in one. I love to read and recently started a book list. Instead of a stack of books that I have to get through, I read one at a time. When I’m finished, I start a new one. Some take longer than others to finish depending on other projects and commitments, but I always look forward to coming back to a good book. It’s where I get lost, and where I get found.

There are so many ways to be wonder-full, but sometimes a full schedule, busy day or time of worry closes us off. Take small steps, be wonder-full one at a time and revel, marvel and be in awe of all that the world has to offer and all that you have to give back.

How will you be wonder-full today?

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As it turns out, the things I did when I was diagnosed and the things I do now are not mutually exclusive to MS. While I don’t have experience with other diseases, I think these ideas would work for many scenarios. I’m not offering a cure for anything here, but instead want to share hope that we have the power to heal ourselves.

Sometimes the hardest time to feel powerful is when we are sick, newly diagnosed or just feeling down.

Through MS I’ve experienced long (months) episodes of vertigo and fatigue, tingly fingers and face, and mild depression. I have been almost symptom free for more than 3 years and I attribute that to fighting for my health.

I knew I had to do something to change the course of my disease or I would continue to decline. Here are the things that made the biggest difference and I think can help you too.

• Research diets and healthy eating plans. Read The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health and other books that talk about inflammation. Change your diet and do whatever it takes to feel well.
• Move everyday. Start where you need to start. Work within your pain levels, recognize fatigue and either stretch or walk and do something more high energy when you can
• Connect with others living well with your disease. Stay away from forums and message boards/blogs where people are complaining or rehashing all the negatives you know. Instead reach out directly to someone living symptom free or that is very active and ask them how they did it.
• Partner with your doctor. You have more to gain/lose in this relationship. Ask questions, present research, get second opinions. Be the boss of your health and your healthcare team.
• Don’t listen to the doctors all the time. You know your body better than they do. Just because this disease produces certain symptoms in some people, does not mean that has to happen to you. Just because you’ve experienced some of those symptoms doesn’t mean you always will.
• Wage war on your disease. Get to know it, research, experiment, and be vigilant. Sometimes that means resting.
• Do things you love that keep your brain or body active. Learn a new language. Take a cooking class or write a book.
• Give. Volunteer for an organization that supports your affliction or another cause that is unrelated. Thinking about someone besides yourself when you have a chronic condition is KEY.
• Reduce stress by reducing the unessential. aka … simplify your life

I hope these ideas will give you a place to start. You have brilliant opportunity to turn your life around or to continue to enjoy the benefits of health. The possibilities are endless if you are willing to do the work. Be hopeful, vigilant and kind to give yourself the best chance for long lasting health and the strength to fight when you need to.

And, if you are lucky enough not to be diagnosed with anything, still fight for your health. If you don’t, you might not get a chance to fight for anything else.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Review these ideas with a doctor and see if any or all of them make sense for you. Please share questions and ideas about how to live a healthier life in the comment section. I’d love to hear your story and I am sure it will inspire other readers.

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Letting go of stuff becomes so much easier once you let go of the fear of living without it. I can tell you from personal experience, that in the past few years of selling and donating more than 50% of my stuff, I’ve never once missed anything I let go of, or regretted my decision to give something away. In fact, each thing I let go of gave me momentum and confidence to let the next thing go.

On the Clutterfat Challenge Facebook page I posed this question, “What scares you most about letting go of your stuff?” In response …

Busting your biggest clutter fears

I’m afraid I’ll have to buy it again. Face this fear by looking at what you use on a daily basis. Most likely, you own much more than you actually use. If you do need to use a special gardening tool once in a blue moon, borrow it or buy it when you need it. Don’t save it “just in case”. You might also keep multiples of things because you are afraid you will lose the one you use. Trust yourself to take care of a few pens, or spoons, or lipsticks and replace when you need to. Even better, try to use just one.

I’m afraid that if I let go of something sentimental that I will forget the memory. Your memories and the people you love are not in your stuff. That said, if something brings back fond memories, take a picture of it, frame it and put it on your wall. This way you can share your memory instead of stuffing it in a box, because you don’t have a place for it.

I’m afraid my stuff won’t go to the right place. You can make sure that your stuff is appreciated when you let it go by donating it to people or organizations. Donate clothing to a homeless shelter. Donate books to a hospital, school or retirement home. Place larger items on craigslist or other classified sites. Recycle items when you can.

I’m afraid I won’t have anything left to give my children. All your children will want from you is your love. Give them peace of mind and loving support instead of the responsibility of taking care of your stuff. If they are older, ask them if they want anything. If they say no, don’t be hurt. They love you, not your stuff.

I’m afraid getting rid of my stuff will take alot of work. It will take work and effort, but what it will pay you back in time and energy will make you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

I’m afraid people will think I am weird or ungrateful because I keep giving things way. Some people will think that. Some people thought you were weird before. It’s not your job to please everyone. It’s not your job to convince everyone that you are doing the right thing. Lead by example. Let your happiness and kindness demonstrate that you are living your life just as you should.

I’m afraid that I wasted money on things and giving stuff away is like money down the drain. That may be a harsh reality but holding onto those things, and continuing to spend money, time and energy on them is only perpetuating the fear and guilt. Let it go, and think more carefully about your purchases moving forward.

There are so many things to be afraid of when you are decluttering, but even more ways to overcome your fear and live a clutter-free life dedicated to people and experiences instead of stuff and debt. If fear is holding you back from decluttering or making other changes that will improve your life, check out “Take Your Fear and Shove it”, written by my friend Tess Marshall. She is living the bold life and so can you!

What is your biggest fear when it comes to decluttering? 

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I want to share my ideas on writing with you, but I almost didn’t. I didn’t think I was experienced enough, or good enough. Then I remembered that while this blog is only 18 months old, I’ve been writing my whole life.

I’ve written…

• homework assignments
• in journals and diaries
• on other blogs
• love letters to my husband and daughter
• ebooks
• apologies
• poetry

You’ve probably been writing your whole life too.

Here are a few things I’d like to say on writing …

Write until you can’t, then move. When you have writer’s block or words don’t fall onto paper, move. Many experts suggest that the way through a block is to keep writing. I disagree. When you can’t write, stop and then move. Walk, stretch, do yoga, or cartwheels and don’t have pen and paper near by. I know all of you Moleskine addicts just shivered, but the brain works in mysterious ways. If you don’t have a way to jot down ideas, your brain will deliver them on a silver platter and dare you to remember your flash of genius.

Write alone, and only write. Sometimes I write while drinking a cup of tea, or while a meal is cooking, but my best writing is when that is the only thing I’m thinking about. The magic happens when I show up and get lost in the words.

Write to feel. There are times when I put words on paper and it feels like work. Interestingly, that is never my good work. It’s when words start to move me that I know I’m onto something. Listen to yourself and trust how you feel. Oh, and if it doesn’t move someone else, it might still be your best work because it made you feel something.

Write upside down. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was a text book I used in an art school drawing class. Included is an assignment to draw a self-portrait from a photograph. You have to draw it upside down. The exercise makes your brain think differently. You have to draw shapes instead of an eye or a nose. Why not write upside down? Start at the end. Draw the conclusion and then figure out how you got there.

Write everyday. Put words on paper every day. Drop perfectionism when it comes to grammar and spelling and just spill your thoughts and ideas. Use 750words.com, a journal or even scrap paper.

Write and let go. Just because you put something on paper doesn’t mean it’s good writing for you or anyone else. Don’t get hung up on holding onto something that isn’t working. Delete or crumple and toss and start again. You will have another brilliant idea.

Write and ask for feedback. It’s ok to write privately, in fact I highly recommend it. I also think it’s important, especially if you love to write, to ask for feedback from friends or people that you trust. Take the feedback as information, not good or bad, just information to guide you moving forward. You will always be your harshest critic. If you love to write, don’t be afraid to love what you write.

And now, for your homework…

Write something about a detail of your childhood. Describe your 3rd grade lunchbox, the perfume your mom wore, or how you fell and scraped your knees running for the ice cream truck. Anything that you remember in vivid detail, write about it. Then post it on your blog if you have one to inspire your readers to do the same, or send it to me through email or in comments below, or post somewhere else publicly. If that doesn’t work for you, write it down, fold it up and sleep on it. Remember how writing what you know makes you feel.

If you’d like to start a blog, write more or change up the way you do business, I’d be happy to brainstorm ideas. I’m offering a special mini-consuting session with my book bundle. I normally charge $75 an hour, but am currently offering both books + a 30 minute consulting session for $49. As an added bonus just for those of you reading this post, if you purchase an hour, or any other services, I’ll send you both books for free.

If you’ve already bought my books, send me a reciept and I’ll deduct the price from any consulting services.

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I knew that decluttering was just the beginning of some great possibilities and that it would give me the momentum and inspiration to make other great life changes.

• Becoming clutter free made it easier to become debt free.
• Becoming debt free made it easier for me to quit my job.
• Quitting my job made it really easy for me to do work that I love.

If decluttering feels like an overwhelming chore, think about the hope and possibility that comes along with it. That will help to lighten the load, literally and figuratively. The following decluttering ideas might help too.

How to make decluttering fun.

Make it a game. Announce a family clutter busting contest. Offer a non-thing prize to the whomever dumps the most stuff in 60 minutes.

Hide stuff. My husband and I hide things from each other. If one of us is traveling alone, the other does a little decluttering and hides something or a few things. If we can’t guess what’s missing, it’s an automatic donation. It’s fun to guess what’s missing and reminds us that we are in this together.

Travel lightly. You might not be ready to live out of a backpack like Warren and Betsy, but you might want to see how it feels. The next time you go away for a few days, instead of packing for every scenario, just bring a backpack with the bare essentials. It will remind you that you don’t need much to live well.

Connect with other declutterers. Inspire, motivate and be inspired and motivated with others that want to lead a clutter-free life. Join the Clutterfat Challenge and Facebook page or if you like to tweet, use #clutterfat. Leo and I will be featuring some of the best Clutterfat transformations in early February, but this isn’t about numbers or winning and losing. It’s about living your best life possible with the support of others facing the same obstacles.

Decluttering isn’t cleaning or organizing and shouldn’t be treated as a chore. Remember you are doing this to live a healthier, happier life. (believe me… that’s what happens)

While committing to live a clutter-free life is serious, your decluttering actions should be light hearted. After all, placing items in a box and giving them away is hardly rocket science. Turn on some music, do a little dance and box that crap up.

Parting with some items can be emotional and stressful, but adding humor and joy will help.

If you need a good dose of motivation to get started, check out the free Clutter Webinar. We discussed the benefits of a clutter-free life, why we have clutter, how to tackle clutter, how to deal with some of the toughest clutter issues (including family), and what to do once you’re clutter-free.

Important Reminder

Saturday, January 7th is the last day to register for the Clutterfree Course. We will cover serious topics but have so much fun at the same time. Let me know if you have any questions or sign up today.

How do you make decluttering fun?

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Clutter is expensive, time consuming, distracting and unhealthy. Unless you have more time, money and peace of mind than you know what do with, it’s time to become clutter-free. Getting rid of your stuff takes commitment, motivation and a strong desire to live with what is really important in life.

Dumping the the unessential will define what is most meaningful to you. To help, I’d like to introduce you to …

The Clutterfat Challenge

Big change can come with big reservations, guilt about past behaviors and trouble finding the perfect place to start. If you want to finally live a clutter-free life, Leo Babauta and I invite you dump the guilt, planning and excuses and join the 30 day Clutterfat Challenge.

How to get started

• Read the Welcome Page
• Register  for free
• Use our clutterfat inventory recommendations and start counting your stuff, room by room.
• Add your starting clutterfat number and images
• Declutter by selling, donating and trashing your stuff
• Add your final clutterfat number and images

That’s it! Decluttering can be an monumental task, so we want to keep the challenge as simple as possible. In the beginning of February, we’ll feature some of the best Clutterfat transformations.

Clutterfree Course

While the Clutterfat Challenge is 100% free, we also offer the paid Clutterfree Course, which starts on January 10th, to keep you motivated and excited about your journey. Through course materials, homework, live webinars and personal feedback, you’ll have all the tools you need to clear the clutter for good. Register by January 7th.

When you register for the Clutterfree course, you’ll also receive the Clutterfree ebook with formats so you can enjoy it digitally anyway you like (Kindle, iPad, iPhone, computer), along with awesome interviews from Clutter-free experts Joshua Becker and Tammy Strobel, and a Clutterfree video Q&A with Leo Babauta.

Save the Dates

• Clutterfat Challenge - Register now for free
• Free Clutterfree Webinar with Leo Babauta – Thursday, January 5th at 8pm EST.
• Clutterfree Course - Register by January 7th

On Thursday, I’ll post more information about the Clutterfree Webinar. Subscribe today so you don’t miss the update.

Free Webinar Update:

Are you in? Comment below with your biggest clutter busting tip or obstacle and post updates with #clutterfree or #clutterfat on Twitter. If you are reading this post via email, simply click here and post your comment.

P.S. I just started a Clutterfat Challenge Facebook Page so you can ask questions and share your decluttering struggles and successes in words and pictures. I look forward to connecting with you! Join me.