Hasta La Ideas

An uncluttered life is one where you choose to get rid of the distractions (the clutter) so you can focus on what matters most to you. You get rid of the messes and stresses to spend time pursuing the life you desire.

For most of us, the life we desire and the things that matter most to us aren’t boring things. In fact, they’re usually quite the opposite. The things we do when our lives are free of clutter make us smile, bring joy to our lives, and are rarely regrettable. We take our children to the park, sing along to our favorite songs, and follow our dreams.

An uncluttered life may contain more silence than a cluttered life, but it might not. I need moments of solitude in my day to think clearly — and if I’m pulled in too many directions and my schedule is a mess, I don’t get this time. My definition of an uncluttered life includes a couple time-outs during the day, but these moments are far from boring. They’re relaxing and rejuvenating and unclutter my thoughts.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on “Boring 2010,” a boredom conference held Dec. 11 in London. More than a dozen of my friends e-mailed me links to the article with comments joking, “This would be perfect for you!”

The headline for the article was “Boredom Enthusiasts Discover the Pleasures of Understimulation.” But, when reading the article, you realize that understimulation wasn’t anywhere on the agenda. Workshop after workshop had speakers droning on about topics like paint colors and reflections on breakfast foods. Even though the topics were dull, the speakers were providing constant stimuli. There weren’t any blocks of time for silence to be enjoyed. The conference should have been more accurately identified as a Constant Clutter for Your Thoughts.

An uncluttered life doesn’t mean you have to listen to boring people talk about boring subjects. Rather, it means just the opposite — you purposefully avoid such events from cluttering up your time so you can do things that matter more to you.

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