Project Declutter

As mentioned in the last post, I plan to Declutter. Declutter my house, thoughts, and my projects (predominantly work projects). Breaking news: Project Declutter is a new project. Ironic rhymes with moronic. Well, here we go – starting with Goals for each.

Inspired by a BBC article Why now is time to declutter and four ways to get started

Declutter house – clothes, old/forgotten toys, kitchen cupboards, random stuff, garden. (Hint: this is already getting stressful). Start small as the BBC advises so I will start with my own clothes. Keep my favourites and clothes I feel good and comfortable in, donate the rest. I can’t be bothered with selling stuff on Vinted.

Declutter thoughts – This year, I’ve read self-help books focusing on how to ace your mornings. I read The 5am Club and The Miracle Morning – both promoting prescriptive lifestyle changes for the first hour of your day. The 5 am Club has 20/20/20 (exercise, reading, reflection – 20 minutes each) and The Miracle Morning has SAVERS (silence, affirmations, visualisation, exercise, reading, scribing – 10 minutes each). I have decided that I am not ready to religiously subscribe to either prescription. (Also, there needs to be The Miracle Morning for Mums). But I get that exercise, stillness, reflection, planning are important early in the day.

I normally am the first person to wake up at home – around 5 am. I do enjoy the silence in the house and some quiet me time. Xavier is my morning buddy as he wakes up at 530 am without fail. So this is our time together which I really value. Chaos (the official start of the day) starts when breakfast is a go.

At the beginning of September, towards the tail end of the BBC Proms, I started yet another project – Project Classical Music. The question being… ‘What would happen if I just listened to classical music for a year?’ And aiming to then go to the BBC Proms in 2026. Keeping it simple, I will only listen to BBC 3 in the car. So far, I’ve learnt about Benjamin Britten’s Midsummer Nights Dream and Maurice Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole, I really want to read Jilly Cooper’s Appasionata, and also, Night on Bald Mountain is pretty wild in the car.

Where am I going with this? Well, listening to classical music on the way to work and back, despite aiming for a calm mind, it has instead invigorated me (non-caffeinated waker upper). It has helped me reflect and plan my day out. After dropping the kids off, I spend the first full piece that comes on the radio as my Mindfulness piece and just enjoy the music and keep my mind still. The second piece is for planning the day – 2 things, what is the first thing I need to do when I get to work and what I must accomplish that day.

BBC Radio 3 – Listen. You might become a believer.

Declutter projects – surely not by starting another project such as Project Declutter or Operation: Pass Physics! Well, I will be moving to Southampton at the beginning of November, starting with Urology. So I am in the process of off-loading my Portsmouth projects to other colleagues and vowed not to start any projects when I get to Southampton until I pass Physics.

And don’t sign up for any other races. Maybe just go on 3 mile runs for now.

Simple, right?