Decluttering Series Week 2: Declutter Your Schedule

Welcome to Week 2 of the Decluttering Series! If you missed last week’s post about decluttering your home, you can find it here. Now, let’s dive in…

Growing up, I don’t remember being super busy. Maybe we were. Maybe I just didn’t notice the hustle from one thing to the next.

But as a mama of 3, a full-time employee, a wife, and all the other hats I currently wear, (oh, and just 2022 in general)… I can tell you that I feel BUSY.

My schedule’s not just mine anymore. And trying to balance all the things for everyone can sometimes feel overwhelming and exhausting.

In the same way we can open the door to our storage room and see the clutter and know we need to make a change, we can flip open our calendar and see that we have clutter here, too. More importantly, we can feel it.

We can feel the exhaustion creeping in. We can feel the anxiety rising up in our throats as we commit to something we promised ourselves we wouldn’t commit to. Been there. Done that. Came home with a prize.

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out, and like your schedule has more control over you than you do over it, THIS POST IS FOR YOU.

A super quick note before we dive in on how to declutter your schedule: Do not feel guilty about your current schedule or way of life! Promise me, ok? Just because you’re feeling burned out doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. That’s just life. All you have to do is acknowledge that feeling, then decide to shift directions.

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. (Bonus points if you know what movie song starts with this lyric!) Here are 5 tips to help you declutter your schedule:

1. Find a scheduling system.

In other words: How are you going to track and plan your schedule?

Maybe you already have a system, but your calendar is just FULL. Or maybe, you’re feeling a little like a crazy person as you run from thing to thing never knowing what’s next because it’s not written down somewhere.

I’ll tell you, I’ve been both.

It can take some trail and error to see what works for you here. But I think the most important thing is to FIND A SYSTEM.

If you’ve been here a little while, then you know that I’m a total paper and pen gal. If you’d like to see how I set up my Simplified planner (not an ad, just love these planners!) every August, you can read my full post here.

The Hubs and I also keep track of our family schedule through a shared Google calendar. We can pull it up anytime and see what’s on the docket. Plus, we’re able to add and edit and instantly see the changes, instead of having to text, call, or email each other about a change in schedule. We didn’t always do this, but it’s a change I’m glad we made!

I also remember growing up with a basic calendar on the wall where my Mom would write down family activities.

The point is, there are a gazillion tools available today when it comes to scheduling. Maybe a digital calendar works best for you, or maybe you like the old school calendar on the wall, or a paper planner, too.

To me, I don’t think it matters what system you use, it just matters that you have one. If you want to declutter your schedule, you’ve first got to get things out of your head! Writing it down allows you to give your brain a much needed break from trying to remember every detail of your schedule.

2. Analyze your current schedule.

The point of this step is simple: Know where you are so you can figure out where you want to go. Sit down with your calendar (whatever kind of calendar you have) and take stock of what your schedule looks like, right now, today.

Then start asking yourself some questions:

• What do you already have on your schedule and how do those events make you feel?
• What’s on your schedule that you love?
• Are some of your obligations making you feel spread thin?
• And, the most important question to ask yourself is: What does your ideal calendar look like to you?

Having a goal in mind for the year ahead can be extremely helpful when a scheduling request comes your way and you’re unsure how to handle it.

Declutter your schedule by getting a good grasp on where you’re currently sitting so you can start dreaming about where you want to go.

3. decide what’s important to you.

How many things are on your calendar that you’d rather not do, but feel like you HAVE TO because you should or because you already committed? (Silently raising my hand over here, too, friend.🙋‍♀️)

Here’s the deal, though. Filling your calendar up with the “shoulds” won’t bring you joy. There will always be something you should or could be doing. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it if it’s not important to you!

Of course there will still be items on your schedule that aren’t necessarily important to you but are a fact of life and they can’t be replaced. (Tuesday night gymnastics class, anyone?) Just make sure that you’re weeding out as much of these things as you can.

Try asking yourself these questions:

• What are my top priorities?
• What can’t I live without?
• Who or what fills up my cup?

THESE are the questions you should base your schedule around.

4. Build Margin into your schedule.

Let me ask you a v. important question: Do you have something just for you on your schedule?

As women, we carry SO many hats. Because we carry all of these hats, it’s easy to let them take over our schedule and bury us in all sorts of tasks that serve others.

Listen, I’m not here to say that serving others is bad. That would be ridiculous! And, it’s honestly something God has called us to do. BUT, where we tend to go wrong is when our schedule is ONLY full of things that serve others. Let’s make sure you find even short chunks of time during the week to take a breath and take care of YOU.

If you’d like to dig into this topic more, I have two posts for you. One on self-care, explaining the importance of taking time for you, and one on the benefits of building margin into your life.

If you aren’t filling up your own cup, you won’t be able to keep pouring into others. Trust me, I’ve tried and failed. I’ve felt like my family is only getting my leftovers instead of the best of me. And every time, I can track it back to the fact that I haven’t given myself enough space to just be.

5. If you want to declutter your schedule, you’ll have to practice saying “no.”

Ug. I’m so terrible at this one, you guys. I’m a recovering YES person. My instant reaction to everything I’m asked, is “yes!” Why YES I would love to host the holiday party this year. YES I can definitely bring 5 dozen cookies to the bake sale tomorrow. And YES I would absolutely love to carpool 18 children to a basketball camp two hours away. (Ok, some of these are total exaggerations, but you get the point!)

Here’s the deal: Even with good intentions, all of my “yes'” just leave me feeling over-booked, over-tired, and completely stressed.

My guess is that I’m not the only “yes” person in the world, so let me share with you what I’m (ever-so-slowly) learning: We can say no graciously.

Here are some fantastic examples of saying “no” in a gracious manner:

• “I’d love to help, but now just isn’t the best time for me.”
• “Thank you so much for thinking of me, but unfortunately my schedule doesn’t allow for any other commitments this week.”
• “Gosh, I’d love to meet up with you, but my week is pretty booked. Is there a day next week that would work to meet up?”
• “I’m not sure if I’m available but let me check my schedule and get back to you.”

My biggest advice here is to think before answering yes. Take some time to analyze what you’re signing yourself up for. The best advice I ever heard was that saying yes to one thing meant saying no to something else. If you answer yes today, what will you be saying no to tomorrow?

Wrapping Up.

As you move forward with new skills to declutter your schedule, think about what season of life you’re in and what your highest priorities are for this season.

Truthfully, there will probably be things on our schedule that are “must do’s.” Just be mindful to not let those items overwhelm your schedule. If you’re looking for an excuse to say no to something, this is it! Release the guilt of saying no to something, and honor yourself by owning a schedule that works for you.

My hope for you this year is that your calendar is filled with MORE of the things that you love, and LESS of the things that drain you.

If you’re enjoying reading this decluttering series (as much as I’m enjoying writing it!) stay tuned for next week when we discuss decluttering your To Do list!

***OVER TO YOU: What’s something you can say no to right now, today? What’s something you can do to create a schedule that works for you? Let’s chat in the comments below!