An Uncluttered Life

Do you have a hard time quitting when something isn’t working? Most people do. The devil you know seems more comfortable than the one you don’t! Today you’ll learn why it’s okay to quit, even when it’s scary, and you’ll discover why this is the final podcast episode of An Uncluttered Life. This is episode 185, the final episode of this long-running podcast, and today we’re talking about when it’s time to quit and how to do it. If you struggle with letting go, this episode is for you.

A lot of what we talk about at An Uncluttered Life falls into 2 categories: 1) fear of the choices ahead of you, and 2) regret over choices you made in the past.   One of those you can still do something about. The other one is what we’re talking about today.  This is episode 184, and today we’re talking about REGRET. If you ponder your regrets on a regular basis, today’s episode just might help you clear the slate.

Do you know the #1 reason you don’t get more of what you want in life? Well, today you’re going to find out! This is episode 183, and today we’re talking about CHOICE. This is what it all boils down to, every single day, in creating the life you live. If you don’t like where you are, then it’s time to make some different choices!

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost perspective on a situation? It may hit you like a lightning bolt, or maybe the dawning is more gradual. In either instance, you get a chance to match your attitude and actions to what’s real.   But what about the times when you don’t realize your perspective is off? How do you get a true picture of what’s going on if you don’t even know you’re not seeing it clearly?    This is episode 182, and today we’re talking about perspective and how we’ve learned to challenge ours on a regular basis to keep it real.

Do you ever find yourself envious of friends, coworkers, and random strangers who seem to hit the jackpot? They effortlessly lose weight, climb the career ladder, or find the perfect partner, and they don’t seem to be trying half as hard as you! Why is overnight success happening to everyone else but you? This is episode 181, and today we’re discussing overnight success and how it isn’t always what it seems.

It sounds so cliché: “I’m having a Midlife Crisis.” Yet when you’re in the midst of one, the joke is not funny. You question everything you’ve done up to this point, which makes you even less sure what to do about the future. But what if we told you this time of crisis could be the biggest breakthrough of your life? This is episode 180, and today we’re discussing changing idea of the midlife crisis to help you create the life you want.

How many times have people tried to change your outlook on politics, religion, dieting, exercise, finances, home decor, how to raise your kids, or what to do with your career?    You get advice all day long, and only a very small portion of it is worthwhile. But how do you know who to listen to and who to tune out?   This is episode 179, and today we’re talking about advice, specifically who to listen to, and who to avoid like the plague…because it’s not always obvious until you’ve taken that crappy advice! �      

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you into a meltdown in progress. Are you ready? This is episode 178, and today we’re sharing something a bit more personal than usual. We’re struggling with a problem, and today you get to see how we handle it.

Why is it so hard to get started? You spend hours daydreaming about the results you want, but you can’t seem to find 5 minutes to actually take action. You know you want it. You know it’s good for you. And still, you can’t seem to get started. This is episode 177, and today you’ll discover how to get started on anything. Yes, it’s a pretty big promise. But if you give us 30 minutes, we’ll deliver.

Do Betsy and I really walk the talk with these weekly episodes? You betcha! Today we’re back with the final episode in this behind-the-scenes series of what our uncluttered life looks like. Today’s topic: HEALTH.    If you wonder what an uncluttered life looks like in action,  be sure to catch all the episodes in this behind-the-scenes series. We’re opening up our lives and showing how we got to this Plan A Life because YOU asked for it! Check out episodes 173-176 for an insider look at our personal life, how we work, where we spend our money, and now today’s episode about how we take care of our bodies.

Curious about what life looks like when you take all these weekly lessons and put them into practice? Good news! We’re back with the 3rd episode in this behind-the-scenes series of what our uncluttered life looks like. Today’s topic: MONEY.   

What does our uncluttered business look like? How did we get here, and why do we do it? Stay tuned for an inside look at how our work actually works!  This is episode 174, and in Part 2 of this series on what our uncluttered life looks like, we’re taking you inside our business. Find out what goes on behind the microphone and why we do what we do. Let the peeking begin!

Are you wondering what an uncluttered life looks like—a real-life, working, everyday life, relationship, and career? Lock the door and close the blinds, because we’re going to reveal to you exactly how ours works—the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is episode 173, and today you get an inside look at what OUR uncluttered life looks like. This is the first a 4-part series where we’ll reveal the inner workings of our personal life, business life, money, and health. Let the voyeurism begin!

Recently we sent an email to 4000 people asking about the one thing they were struggling with right now. We answered every single response with 3 specific actions they could take to overcome their roadblock. Guess what happened next? This is episode 172, and today you’ll discover how YOU are potentially your biggest obstacle when it comes to achieving your Plan A Life.

We’ve all been there - burning the candle at both ends,  drinking too much wine, eating your weight in chocolate, or working yourself to the bone. However, if you don’t get back on track quickly, these overindulgences can all too easily become your new normal. And that’s no way to reach your Plan A Life. This is episode 171, and today you’ll discover the 5-step method for getting back to normal after you’ve overdone it, fallen off the wagon, or have discovered you are in the middle of a binge.

Victor Frankl,  Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, once said “Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  Today we’re jumping into that space to discover how this choice can can help you achieve the life you want. This is episode 170, and today you’ll discover the difference between areactionto an event and your response to it. Plus, you’ll learn the technique that will forever change the way you deal with stressful situations and shift from knee-jerk reaction to thoughtful action.

Brene Brown, the author of Daring Greatly, says that people who are walking around as perfectionists are ultimately afraid that the world is going to see them for who they really are and that they won’t measure up. Does that describe you? If so, stay tuned. This is episode 169, and today you’ll discover why perfectionism will prevent you from living your Plan A Life and how to get real with your life.

Routine is boring, right? Well, it is if you aren’t doing what you love! Imagine a daily routine that supported your lifestyle goals and helped you create a life you love. Now that’s not boring at all! This is episode 168, and today you’ll discover how to create a non-boring routine that you’ll be excited to follow every single day as you create your Plan A Life.

What do other people have to do with your self-discipline? Plenty! No one succeeds 100% on their own, and without a team of support and accountability, you’ll struggle to create lasting change even if you have the self-discipline of a saint.  This is episode 167, and today you’ll discover why you need the support and accountability of other people to build up your self-discipline and—most importantly!—how to get it.

Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do things you know you should do even when you do not want to. It’s how you achieve a long-term vision in the face of short-term distractions, and most people don’t have it. Do you? This is episode 166, and today we're kicking off a 3 part series on self-discipline. In this episode you’ll discover why it is so important and how to strengthen your self-discipline so you can achieve your Plan A Life.

Think you have to hide in a cave to take a break from the constant pull of technology? Well, you’re not even safe there. Today we’re broadcasting from an actual cave in Spain….with wifi.   If everywhere in the world is now wired, how do you unplug? This is episode 165, and today you’ll discover how to take a digital detox to recharge your human batteries and come back better than ever.

Are you holding on to relationships, attitudes, habits, and possessionsthat no longer work for you? The longer you keep what’s not working, the less time you’ll have to discover and enjoy what does. This is episode 164, and today you’ll discover the one question you can ask yourself every single day to avoid getting stuck in a life that doesn’t fit you anymore.

690,000 people buy an item at a garage sale EVERY single week in the US.  How do you get enough of those buyers at your yard sale to make it worth your effort? This is episode 163, and today you’ll rediscover an old-fashioned technique for clearing the clutter and making some cash—garage sales! Discover how to overcome the top 3 objections people have to buying your stuff in a garage or yard sale.

The biggest hurdle people face in decluttering (besides getting started), is how to finish. What do you do with all the stuff you no longer want? This is episode 162, and today you’ll discover a simple, 3-step process to get rid of every single item you no longer want. No more confusion over what to sell or donate, no more second-guessing what trash could be treasure to someone else, and no more hesitation over that final hurdle of getting the clutter out of your house.

You feel like you’re the only person in your house who even notices the clutter, and you’re fighting an uphill battle to go through it all faster than the rest of your family can re-clutter it. Or maybe you live alone and the thought of doing this by yourself is overwhelming. How do you get the help and support you need to tackle such a big project? This is episode 161, and today you’ll discover how to rally the troops to help with your decluttering project, even if you don’t think you have any troops!

“Because I should” is a lousy reason to do anything. And when you use that lame and vaguely judgemental phrase to motivate yourself, you’ll fail 100% of the time. You need a real reason to convince yourself to take on a project like decluttering, and today we’ll show you where to find it. This is episode 160, and today you’ll discover why you need a reason to declutter your house and how to figure out it. This is the first in a series of podcasts on how to declutter your home.

No matter how hard you try, someone is always smarter, faster, thinner, richer, or luckier. And it can be hard not to be envious when you work so hard and someone else seems to be reaping the rewards you so desperately want. You already know that comparison is a losing game, but what if we told you there was a way to flip your envy and make it work in your favor? This is episode 159, and today you’ll discover how to use envy to improve your life with a simple adjustment in your thinking. This trick is going to change your life!

Do you have voices inside your head? You know, the ones that tell you how stupid you acted, that people don’t like you, that you’re a big failure, or that the sky is falling? These voices don’t want you to live a Plan A kinda Life, and they go to work overtime when they see you reaching for something better. This is episode 158, and today you’ll discover how to quiet those voices in your head that create drama where there is none. You’ll spend less energy creating fake excitement so you’ll have plenty left over for real-life adventure.

How many times a day do you say, “I don’t have time for that?” If it’s more than zero, we’re calling you out. If you really want to do something, you’ll make time for it. And if you don’t, well, isn’t it about time you owned up to that fact? This is episode 157, and today you’ll discover the power of challenging your automatic assumptions and taking ownership of your decisions so you can take back control of how you spend your time.

Friend breakups are messy. You don’t get a therapist or a lawyer like a divorcing couple. You don’t check any boxes or sign any forms to make it official. There are no societal rules for this. So how do you end a friendship that’s damaging your life without causing even more harm? This is episode 156, and today is the second episode of our series on Toxic Friendships. Last time you learned how to identify one, and today you’ll discover how to end it gracefully.

No matter how much work you do on your lifestyle, if you are surrounded by Toxic People, you will never make lasting change. The problem is, most toxic people don’t announce themselves until it’s too late. If only you had an early warning system… This is episode 155, and today you’ll discover the early warning signs of toxic friendship so you can do something about it.

Have you ever hosted a dinner party? Once you decide on the theme, it narrows your focus for the food, the music, the decorations. Everything flows much easier with a theme. What if you took that idea to your entire life?  This is episode 154, and today you’ll discover how themes can work in your life.

Your long-term memory resembles a library full of books. But your working memory, that everyday brain power you need to manage your day, it looks more like a dinky chalkboard. It can only hold 3 memories before it runs out of room. No worries, though. We have a solution for the overflow.  This is episode 153, and today you’ll discover a how to use a notebook to increase your working memory storage space and decrease your stress of remembering things. 

Do you often doze when you sit down to read or watch television? How about when riding in a car, bus or train for more than an hour? According to the doctors at the National Institutes of Health, these are signs of sleep deficiency. And with 30% of Americans sleeping less than 7 hours per night, we’ve got a big problem on our hands. This is episode 152, and today you’ll discover a how to set yourself up for a great night’s sleep—tonight and every night—with a low-stimuation nighttime routine.

A study at Clemson University found that there are positive outcomes for complaining, especially when you do it to find a solution. Researchers said, "Those who complained with the hope of achieving a certain result, the study found, tended to be happier than those who simply did so for its own sake."   But what about those who don’t want to look for a solution to their problems? How do you handle those people…especially if you ARE one of those people? This is episode 151, and today you’ll discover a how to guard yourself from the negativity of complaining with one of our favorite techniques. And if YOU happen to be the complainer, we’ve got a fix for that, too.

Do you have a great idea for a new business or product, but you’re not sure if it will work? This insecurity stops some people in their tracks, and others ignore it and build anyway, then wonder why their new business isn’t successful. In today’s show, you’ll discover how to tell if your idea has a shot BEFORE you spend a lot of time and money on it. Plus, you’ll learn what to unclutter so you don’t get distracted by bright shiny objects. This is episode 150, and today we’re closing out the Unclutter Your Work Series with something special for those of you who want to start your own business or side hustle. Today you’ll learn what’s important (and what’s not) when starting your new endeavor BEFORE you spend a lot of money or quit your day job. 

This is episode 149, and today you’re going to discover how to leave work on time every day without guilt. When you use our productivity tips, it will be a piece of cake! This is the 3rd episode of our Unclutter Your Work Series.

This is episode 148, and today you’re going to discover how to say NO to your demanding boss, whiny coworkers, and unrealistic customers. Think it can’t be done? Think again! This is the 2nd episode of our Unclutter Your Work Series.  

According to a technology research group named Radicati, the average person receives 85 emails per day. Why is it that it feels more like 850? If you miss even one day of processing your email, you can get bogged down in a hurry. If you feel like you’re drowning in email at work, then today’s episode is for you. This is episode 147, and today you’re going to learn how to make your email work for you instead of the other way around. This is the first in our new series called Unclutter Your Work.

According to Psychology Today, 20% of people deliberately look for distractions. They waste time on purpose! Whether you’re in that 20% or not, if you don’t have enough time in your life to enjoy what you love, then today’s episode is for you. This is episode 146, and today you’re going to learn 5 reasons you waste time and how to stop doing it so you can enjoy more of what you love.

This is episode 145, and today you’re going to discover how to make everyday decisions easier so you can free up brain space for something more important to you. We call it the Decisions Made Easy Framework.

This is episode 144, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or stuck, we’ve got 10 ways for you to add more freedom to your life.

This is episode 143, and if you’ve become a slave to social media, we’re going to help you break those chains today. You can enjoy social media and still have an offline life— promise!

Sometimes you have to pull out all the stops to get rid of what's no longer working for you. Maybe it's a poor habit. Maybe it's a negative, soul-sucking friendship. Or maybe it's an attitude that's standing in the way of who you want to be. In today's episode, we call in the SWOT team to deal with your problem using a SWOT Analysis. If you're doing the 2-week sprints we outlined in last week's episode, this method will dramatically increase your success this year. What is a SWOT Analysis? The acronym stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It's a matrix businesses have used for years to develop strategies to overcome problems and create success, and now we're making it work for you.

This is episode 141, and today we’re diving into part 2 of our 2-part series on setting yourself up for a better year than the one you just had. We’re taking action on what we learned last episode on the annual review. "If it isn’t in your calendar, it won’t get done." You may have heard this phrase as it relates to business and productivity, but have you ever used it in your personal life? On today’s show, we’re taking what we learned in last episode’s annual review and mapping out a new year with less of what you hate and more of what you love.   We'll be taking our queue from the Japanese concept of "kaizen" to change your perspective of annual planning and set you up for success in the year ahead. 

Most people begin a new year with a list of resolutions. Every year they do it, and every year they fail. There’s a pretty good reason for that. People are cluttered and overwhelmed, and until you resolve that issue, you won’t be able to add anything new. Today, we’re going to fix that so you can make 2016 the best year ever. This is episode 140, and today we’re diving into part 1 of a 2-part series on setting yourself up for a better year than the one you just had. We’re sharing with you a system to review the year that way and plan for the year ahead - one with less overwhelm and more of what you love.

This is a special episode for those of you feeling a little overwhelmed by the holiday season.   Today’s guest is Michelle Steinke-Baumgaurd of One Fit Widow. Michelle is all about living in the present with family and friends, and with a new marriage, a blended household of four kids, a thriving business, a new nonprofit, and building a new house this year, she is one busy woman.    In this special show we’re talking to Michelle about Uncluttering Your Christmas so you can enjoy more of what the season is about.

Research in the Journal of Personality suggests that Self-Disciplined people are happier both in the moment and in the long-run. The study showed these people created environments to avoid their problem triggers rather than relying on self-control, and they focused more on long-term gains than short-term pain. Could you do that with your biggest vice, even for a week? That’s what we’re talking about on today’s show. This  is episode 139, and today we’re talking about experiments in letting go, specifically how deprivation in small doses can dramatically unclutter your life.

Today we’re talking about the difference between deprivation and uncluttering your life. This is the first of a 2-part series that you’ll want to pay attention to, especially if you’re considering making some habit changes in your life.

Married with Luggage has officially transitioned to An Uncluttered Life! Thanks so much for going through this process with us. We're excited about the tight focus on removing what's cluttering your life so you can have more time, space, and money to live the way you want! Poke around the site and test it out. A few things are still in process, but you have access to almost 1000 resources in the archives..and plenty more where that came from!   When it comes to life advice, too often we rely on conventional wisdom. It’s like a one-size-fits all t-shirt. Sure, it will fit most people, but it won’t fit everyone. Today, you’re going to learn how to question the conventional wisdom so that you’ll always have a life that fits perfectly. Learn the 5 questions you can ask yourself before following conventional wisdom.

Does this sound familiar? Feeling overwhelmed with all the stuff that feels like it is closing in on you and leaving you with no space to think Struggling to get things done and never feeling like there are enough hours in the day Money seems to go out as fast as it comes in This is the first podcast as we shift direction and thought the best place to start was to share our own experience with these challenges. We dive into the challenges we faced early in our marriage and the steps we took to get unstuck and clear space to create the life we have today. It is nice to have the perspective from the outside so that we can share the steps you can take in your own life to create more time, space, and money.  This is episode 136 of the soon-to-be-renamed Married with Luggage Podcast, and today talking all about what an uncluttered life can do for YOU.