What I'm Learning about Decluttering Life by Helping Create a Walking Trail
What I'm Learning about Decluttering Life by Helping Create a Walking Trail
Twelve years ago I discovered how life-giving hiking is for me. In the past dozen years, I’ve benefited from walking on trails and paths prepared and maintained by others. With all of the benefits I’ve received, I decided to give back as a volunteer on a team attempting to creating a new walking path. Two truths define this project: 1) there isn’t a walking route yet, and 2) there will be one in the future. Both truths motivate the team and inspire me.
Being part of the team has helped me see the power of three simple steps that will help you simplify your life or declutter a garage.
Step One: The Power of a Vision
The plain truth is this: simplifying life or decluttering a room is not easy. Long ago, Aristotle said, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” The natural flow of things means that an empty space will be filled. Remember that empty garage when you first moved into your home? The U. S. Department of Energy reports that one out of four American homes with a two-car garage has so much stuff in the garage that a single car can’t be parked in the garage. Long before garages, Aristotle was on to something! The decision to create a simpler, quieter life, or to create space in a full bookshelf, goes against the natural way of things. Without care, activity and noise will crowd out tranquility and empty counters and shelves will be crammed once again. But here is great news: we are not helpless against the forces that want to fill every moment with activity and every space with stuff. We have a powerful tool in our corner: a vision of a simplified, spacious life.
Here is the simple rule: vision comes before activity. Always; every time; every situation. Simon Sinek gave us this rule in a memorable way: Start with Why. Identifying why you want a simpler life, a decluttered garage, — or a walking path — will keep you motivated and help you make great choices. The team leads have walked the proposed route over and over, wondering if this was important–or unnecessary. Before looking for volunteers, they identified a vision that answered the question, “Why this trail?”
The goal is to design a walking route that invites the public to get moving, immerse them in the beauty of nature, and provides inspiring space for spiritual reflection.
That’s the “why.” Volunteers are given a copy and encouraged to memorize it. It keeps us motivated when the challenges seem daunting. It will help us anticipate challenges. It will help us make smart decisions. It will help us know when the work is completed.
What about you and that garage, or that spare bedroom, or the desire for a quieter life? What is your vision for that space? Why do you want to find a simpler life? What will be the payoffs? How will you — and others — benefit? Take time to identify your vision. It’s going to help you face and overcome Aristotle’s observation that every moment gets crammed with activity and empty spaces fill up with stuff.
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Step Two: The Power of the Right Tools
I’ve been learning about the importance of the right tools. I love trails, but I bring some natural weaknesses into this project. One is that I’m easily distracted. I am easily thrilled by the project. I can see the completed outcome in my imagination. When I have time to help, I find both my attention and my efforts moving from this fallen tree to that slope filled with brush. But the team leads were prepared for someone like me. I was handed a roll of bright yellow tape – like the crime scene tape that cordons off a space. I was taken to a particular section of the proposed route and the tape was wound around some trees. My job was to clear the brush inside of that space. Someone else would take care of the fallen trees that I could see next to my section of tangled undergrowth. Simple! Brilliant!
Just as the roll of plastic tape helped me make progress, tools are essential if you are going to transform your dream of a simpler life or a decluttered garage into reality. The good news is you are not the first person to dream of a quieter life or a house with less clutter. Lots of other people have the same dream and struggle with the same issues. They’ve found tools that work. Online community groups focused on simple living or minimalism can be a treasure trove of ideas. You’ll find podcasts, blogs, and chats devoted to downsizing, organizing, and designing quiet spaces. What I’m discovering is most of the useful ideas are as practical and inexpensive as that brightly colored roll of plastic tape.
Step Three: The Power of a Friend/Community
Power tools and I don't get along very well. I don't have much, if any, mechanical skill. I am sure I’m not an ideal volunteer for a project like this. But the team leads are patient and some of the other volunteers have skills and experience in areas that leave me feeling unsure of myself. One of them – I’ll call him Joe – is everything I’m not. He was a high school shop teacher. In the summer he built decks. I was watching him at work with a chainsaw and decided honesty and humility was the best step, so I decided to try and get better acquainted. I walked over to where he was working and introduced myself: “Hi, I’m Gene. I’m a power tool disaster-waiting-to-happen. I wonder if I could ask you a few questions.” It was the start of a relationship. Joe and I are now good friends. Joe knows stuff. He’s a good teacher. He’s patient. He’s helped me out more than once with my chainsaws and given me good suggestions about how to work my way through problems I’ve encountered.
At some point, making your dream of a simpler, less cluttered life a reality will need a little support from friends and the community. I've got a straightforward thought from my own experience: just humble yourself and invite them into your dream. You’re definitely going to love this, and you might even find yourself thinking, “Why didn’t I do this earlier?”
What Is Your Next Move?
I’m really looking forward to seeing how simplifying your life will benefit you! The benefits of deeper spirituality, stronger relationships, financial and physical health are definitely real, not just fantasies. I’d love to hear about your dream and the steps you are going to take to turn dream into reality.