I have just returned from holiday and found absolute, unmitigated, no doubt about it … clutter.

My home is overrun with toys and boxes and bags of bags and my office looked like a small child had been playing there for gone ten minutes, which obviously spells chaos.  My business inbox was just as bad, full of the latest tips and guaranteed ways to make my business more successful.  And my head has been reeling as a result.

My immediate response has been to use the jetlag to my advantage and perform a culling.  In other language, more gentle language, this may be de-cluttering, but for me it’s been a culling.  While the children played, I have cleared out their rooms.  While my clients think I’m still away, I have sorted my office.  And today, I have unsubscribed from more guru updates and newsletters than is healthy.

A hotel is designed with a short stay in mind.  The contents are just what is required for 2 weeks.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Of course in the period of those 2 weeks we managed to add a variety of gifts and a small shell and stone collection which I insisted the kids took back to the beach before we left.  However, by the next day, I know the hotel room would have been brought back to its bare minimum of essential holiday living.

Why does this not happen in my home?  I’m pretty ruthless.  I’m no hoarder and yet even I, with the most ironically titled book ever (Creating Space) have managed to be swallowed by my own collections of information, entertainment and absolute un-necessities.

The bare necessities.  That’s all we need.  Then we can breathe freely.  We can see clearly.  And we can move forward without fear of banging our shins against some hard and probably unnecessary object.

What do you need to get rid of?