Four years ago, we were in the process of readying our house for sale. We planned to build our fourth and final home. I hadn’t noticed the gradual accumulation of things over the thirty years in our house until we began to declutter, downsize and simplify. When we had worked steadily for a week and were nearly finished, our granddaughter looked at newly existing bare wall space and now visible shelves. “Your house looks naked,” she said. We took that as a compliment.
The clean and simple look seemed more restful to the eye. I think looking at too much stuff is one of the reasons for anxiety and irritability in a person. The eyes need empty space so the brain is not in continual stimulation mode, but can now let the creative side of the brain come to life. My husband put it this way, “Our house looks so nice, maybe we shouldn’t sell.” I was too exhausted to even smile.
Writers have the same problem.
It seems all authors have heard these words at one time or another from other authors, editors, critique groups, or publishers. “Get rid of the excess verbiage.” “Make every word count.” “If you can say it in seven words rather than ten, do it. If not, consider leaving the sentence out.” “Write clear, crisp, concise sentences.” Yada, yada, yada. In other words, declutter, downsize and simplify your writing.
Everyday life principle.
Most of us need the same discipline in our everyday lives as well. We take on too many commitments, try to do too many tasks, and rush from one activity to another. Everything is fast-paced with little or no value placed on slowing down – to declutter, downsize and simplify. Principle: life is more manageable when there is less to manage.
Believe it or not ~
The Bible tells us to declutter, downsize and simplify our prayers. Jesus says in His sermon on the mount found in Matthew 6:6-8; “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your heavenly Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” That means to pray simply those thing that are on your heart. declutter, downsize and simplify.
We cannot accumulate things to the point of overload. To write numerous words thinking that with additional words used, our writing will impress others is ludicrous. We cannot take on so much in life that our lives become a tangled mess. We cannot rattle off tons of words or repetitive phrases in our prayer life, thinking that with the added words, the greater likelihood our payers will be heard. Whether it’s working on a house, writing a book, living life, praying, or any other area of our existence, it’s always a good thing to remember; declutter, downsize and simplify.