Tag Archive for: time management tips

4 Abstinence-Inspired Ways to Find Calm in a Busy Life

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stop and think organizing

When life feels chaotic, your instinct is often to add more, like more apps, more commitments, and more coping strategies. But in my work as a Certified Professional Organizer, I’ve found that calm often comes from removing what drains our energy, attention, and peace of mind. When we subtract stuff and distractions from your life, you live life more fully. For that reason, intentional abstinence can be a purposeful strategy for creating calm in your life. Taking a purposeful break from habits that create stress can be a powerful organizing tool for both your home and your mind. Here are four simple, effective strategies to help you reset, reduce overwhelm, and create more calm in your daily life.

App Abstinence: Declutter Your Digital Life

Appstinence, letting go of apps and technology, has gained popularity this January as a new strategy for creating calm. Smartphones and social media contribute to distraction, comparison, and cognitive overload. Start with a short-term “app fast” for one week. You can start small by deleting or limiting time on nonessential apps. You can set a timer for your screen time. A one-week break can improve focus, reduce stress, and restore a sense of control over your time. This gives you a sense of how powerfully this can impact your life.

Dry Month (or Any Alcohol Pause): Support Mental Clarity

Taking a break from alcohol temporarily can improve sleep, boost energy, and support emotional balance. The impact on cognitive health is showing how impactful drinking is. Many people notice clearer thinking, better productivity, and healthier coping habits when alcohol is removed from their routine. Think about substituting a mocktail for your adult beverage to change your habit. Gather your thoughts and share your decision with your friends to help everyone feel comfortable in a social setting. This decision is about intentional living and personal well-being. Start small by choosing when you will drink rather than automatically reaching for a beverage.

Spending Freeze: Reduce Financial Stress and Consumer Clutter

You are bombarded with ways to purchase. From Instagram to Amazon, it is easy to bring in more and more items very easily. Impulse buying often adds both physical clutter and financial anxiety. Try a short-term spending freeze where you purchase only essentials. You might start by joining a No Buy group online to learn more. Use this time to appreciate what you already own, declutter your home, and become more mindful about future purchases. A spending pause can bring calm, strengthen decision-making, and support clutter-free living.

Schedule Detox: Create Time, Space, and Breathing Room

A packed calendar can feel more overwhelming than a cluttered closet. It is easy to overcommit and bring on more and more meetings, volunteer activities and social events. Try a “schedule detox” by temporarily saying no to nonessential commitments.  Start by reviewing your calendar and color-coding your time. See where you are spending the most time and intentionally review if this aligns with your goals. Review your calendar during your Weekly Planning Time to build in white space for rest, creativity, family, and self-care.

Calm Comes From Less, Not More

Creating rules for your intentional living, like this, abstinence doesn’t have to be extreme or permanent. Think of these practices as intentional pauses and short experiments that help you identify what truly supports your well-being. The most powerful organizing strategy is simply choosing less in intentional and impactful ways. 

Get Organized Month: A Smarter Way to Prioritize What Really Matters

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January is National Get Organized Month. With this in mind, the month will include Smarter Ways to Organize. 

You are bombarded with decisions daily. Some tasks have deadlines, some do not. There is a barrage of decisions, and the velocity of life keeps you moving forward every minute of the day. Get Organized Month is the perfect opportunity to reassess how you prioritize tasks. Many people I work with feel overwhelmed because everything seems urgent. When all tasks are treated equally, prioritizing becomes exhausting and ineffective.

One of the simplest and most powerful organizing tools I have recently learned has helped me rethink prioritizing. Rather than defaulting to what seems urgent, these two questions to ask yourself.

How high are the stakes? And how reversible are the consequences? (By the way, Jeff Bezos uses these questions to prioritize.)

How High Are the Stakes?

Ask yourself, “What is the true cost if this does or doesn’t happen on time?”

High-stakes tasks often involve:

  • Health and safety

  • Finances and legal responsibilities

  • Work performance or reputation

  • Connections to people who matter at home and work

Examples of high-stakes tasks:

  • Paying taxes or bills by a deadline

  • Submitting a proposal tied to income, promotion, or expenses

  • Addressing a medical issue

  • Responding to a school issue affecting your child

Low-stakes tasks may feel pressing, but don’t have lasting consequences:

  • Decluttering a single drawer

  • Trying a new digital tool

  • Perfecting an organizing system

When the stakes are high, consider a pause before acting.

2. How Reversible Are the Consequences?

Next, consider whether the outcome can be undone or corrected. You may have your own set of rules you live by that feel highly consequential.

Low reversibility (hard to undo):

  • Signing a lease or contract

  • Sending a sensitive email or message

  • Making a major financial decision

  • Committing to a long-term obligation

High reversibility (easy to undo):

  • Rearranging your schedule

  • Testing a new routine

  • Moving items in your home

  • Drafting an email without sending it

When reversibility is low, it’s worth slowing down and planning carefully.

Putting It All Together: Real-Life Examples

Example 1: Work Priorities
You’re deciding between cleaning up your inbox or preparing for an important client meeting.

  • Client meeting: High stakes, low reversibility → Top priority

  • Inbox cleanup: Low stakes, high reversibility → Schedule later

Example 2: Home Organization
You want to reorganize your pantry, but you also haven’t set up automatic bill payments.

  • Bills: High stakes, low reversibility → Do first

  • Pantry project: Low stakes, high reversibility → Weekend project

Example 3: Family and Parenting Decisions
Your child needs a school form signed, and you’re debating whether to research new storage bins.

  • School paperwork: High stakes, low reversibility

  • Storage research: Low stakes, high reversibility

Example 4: Health and Self-Care
You’re choosing between scheduling a doctor’s appointment and rearranging your planner.

  • Medical appointment: High stakes, low reversibility

  • Planner setup: Low stakes, high reversibility

Apply these questions as you plan your day. If you are prioritizing but not acting on your plan, you may be productively procrastinating. Often this occurs because of an emotion is holding you back. If you find you need the energy to start a project, take a walk or get a sip of water rather than doom scroll on socials.

Where This Framework Applies

This prioritizing method works beautifully across many areas of life.  In every sector of your life, whether it is work or home, you can apply these new questions to help you know what to do first. Put this into place in your Weekly Planning Meeting agenda. After you consider your lists and your calendar, start asking yourself these questions for clarity. Tasks with high stakes and low reversibility deserve your best energy. Everything else can wait, shift, or be tested without pressure. Organize your priorities first and let the rest fall into place with greater ease and confidence.