I was recently looking for a key and knew I’d last seen it in the third drawer in our kitchen. It was the utility drawer. The one where everything that doesn't seem to have a place seems to find its way.
After scrambling around in the drawer for about 30 seconds, I decided that the only way to find the key was to tip the contents of the drawer out onto the floor. I was surprised and somewhat embarrassed to discover what was in the drawer and how disorganised it had become over the years. After much searching, I eventually found the key I needed. I also went through everything else and threw away 3 quarters of the drawer’s contents because it was no longer relevant.
Sometimes we hold on to things because we don't want to make a decision and feel it’s safer to just leave things the way that they are. The more stuff we keep that we don't need, the more confusing our world becomes. And, in a world that is increasingly chaotic, it's harder to find the answers that we need.
Are you holding on to ideas or physical items that you don’t need, and are avoiding the decision that needs to be made?
How much cognitive clutter is that creating?
How much clarity could be unleashed if you made those decisions in the first place?
Something to think about.