Creating Space for the Soul - How to Declutter your Spiritual Life

Creating Space for the Soul

In previous posts of this trilogy on decluttering, we explored the realms of physical and mental clutter. We streamlined our homes and cleared our minds, laying the groundwork for a more peaceful existence. But there's one crucial aspect we haven't addressed yet: spiritual decluttering. As we venture into this essential area, we'll discuss how to create the sacred space needed for genuine connection with our inner selves, our beliefs, and a higher power.

Spiritual decluttering is not only about finding peace in solitude; it's about removing distractions and shifting our focus away from ourselves. In this post, I’ll share practical tips to help you declutter your spiritual life, enabling your spirit to thrive.

What is Spiritual Clutter?

Before diving into the decluttering process, it's important to define what we mean by spiritual clutter...without any hoohah.

Spiritual clutter is the distractions and noise in our lives that prevent us from connecting with our beliefs and inner selves. This can take many forms, such as overly busy schedules that rob us of quiet time, commitments that pull us away from our true intentions, or continuous thoughts that keep us from feeling still...and as we know, it's in stillness where the magic happens.

Assessing Your Spiritual Environment

To begin the decluttering process, take time to do a little audit on your spiritual environment.

• Who are you listening to? Do you have a book open, a YouTube video playing and other people moving around in this space? If so...it's easy to see why it's difficult to connect or slow down.

• Do you have a routine or schedule? Do you make time to meditate or pray or do you just hope you get time somewhere in the day?

• Are you honest? When entering this space, when you are lying about your intentions or readiness, you aren't fooling anyone...because it's just you that you should be worried about. I've found that if I pretend to be ready or engaged, I never get out what I hope or should get out of a session of prayer.

This is also a key place for the other two decluttering processes come in to play. For instance, I discovered that my cluttered living room was not conducive to meditation. So, I set up our spare bedroom as a dedicated space where I could engage more deeply with my Bible study.

What It's All About

If the previous section seemed very selfish, it's because this one is going to be the exact opposite. The world is a big and mean place (thanks Rocky) and if you zoom out a little more, the galaxy seems even more daunting. Where do you fit into this whole picture? We are specs in the grand scheme of things and what I noticed about a spiritual life that's cluttered, is that it's in those times when we forget it.

With this, I am not saying we are useless in the larger narrative, in fact I believe we have a great role to play. What I am pointing to is, that no matter what you believe in, even if you believe in nothing, the world can never be about you. If the world revolves around us, we usually feel overwhelmed all too quickly, because for everything to go right, it means it's all about us. See, that's why I am happy to be a spec, because now the pressure is off to just do the fun things and focus on my role in the grand scheme.

When you are ready to declutter spiritually, get ready be a lot more selfless.

Declutter Your Commitments

Dan Martel, one of my digital mentors (from afar, he doesn't know it and I just watch his YouTube videos, but you get it), always says: "Show me your calendar and I will show you your priorities."

Committing to things, or not committing to things and allowing others to rule our schedules can lead to significant spiritual clutter. This links back to 'who you listen to': if you read 5 books on meditation and listen to 3 different podcasts and attend 2 different conferences every year but don't put in the time yourself...how are you going to have a spiritually mature life?

• Evaluate Your Schedule: Reflect on your week. Are there activities that drain your spirit rather than uplift you?

  
  

• Say No: Learning to say no is essential for decluttering your spiritual life. It’s perfectly fine to step back from social events or activities that do not align with your soul’s purpose.

• DIY: Yes, read the book, but then make your own notes. Yes, listen to the podcast, but then ask yourself if this aligns with your values and if it's helping you grow. More on this now.

  
  

Limit External Influences

It’s easy to get caught up in external opinions about our spiritual journeys, especially with constant comparison online or in our friend groups. This is where it's time for a little influence audit!

• Re-evaluate Your Influences: Be intentional about the voices you let into your spiritual practice. Follow accounts or authors that inspire and elevate your spirit (but don't only copy what they do).

  
  

• Unplug Regularly: Schedule time away from social media and online distractions, even if it's watching something spiritual. This space allows you to reconnect with your beliefs and passions without external noise, and in an organic way...go old-school: pen and paper.

  
  

I found the best clarity when I unplugged from social media before bed and when I wake up. This time away enabled me to engage more deeply with my spiritual practices and reconnect with what truly matters.

Embrace Minimalism

Spiritual minimalism isn't about limiting your beliefs; it's about refining our practices for a deeper connection. We can hear all sorts of cool stuff from friends and try them out, but doing ten things at once never seemed to help me one bit, here is how I trimmed it down:

I chose one or two practices; Instead of overwhelming myself with rituals or plans and steps, I simply woke up, made coffee and started reading the Bible (from a pre-planned Book) and without my phone. Secondly I focused on the depth of your engagement rather than the perceived amount of effort or boxes I could tick.

You need to find the minimalism that resonates with you, whether it's guided meditation or journaling, and then stick to it...leave the fluff.

Gratitude x 3

One of the simplest yet most profound forms of spiritual decluttering is cultivating gratitude. I'm a 100% sure you would've heard this somewhere...but have you consistently said thank you for 30 days every single morning....just because? Try it...and if I'm wrong about how it changes your life, I will buy you a coffee. I also keep a gratitude journal close to jot a few sentences down each day and I even set an alarm on my calendar to remember to thank my wife just for being her (if I forgot). But now, it's second nature.

Incorporating gratitude into the mix has added clarity and connection in my quiet time, keeping my focus on what matters most rather than on clutter.

A Journey Towards Clarity

Creating space for the soul is crucial for a balanced and fulfilling spiritual life. By adopting strategies to declutter your spiritual life, you open the doors for a deeper connection with yourself, your beliefs, and the universe (in my case the universe being God).

Remember, spiritual decluttering isn’t just a one-time task; it’s an ongoing journey. Embrace this process and allow space for growth, stillness, and self-discovery.

As I conclude this three-part series on decluttering, my hope is that you're inspired to continue exploring this journey in your life. Embrace simplicity, stay mindful, and create the space your soul deserves!

TF