The Clutter Snowball Method
When I was first married, through an invitation from a friend Melody and I ended up in a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Class. One of the first things that's taught is the debt snowball. Essentially, the debt snowball method is all about building momentum to crush your debt. You start by focusing on your smallest balance, regardless of interest rates. Pay the minimums on everything else, then throw every extra dollar you can at that smallest debt until it's wiped out. Once it’s gone, roll the payment you were making into the next smallest debt. Keep repeating this process, and with each victory, your payments grow like a snowball picking up speed downhill. The quick wins give you a boost of energy and motivation to keep going until you’re completely debt-free.
For a newlywed couple that was quite financially illiterate, this snowball principle was simple and it worked.
When we returned home from our travel year/micro-retirement, we landed in a rental. This is a temporary landing pad. The owners are nice enough but don’t plan on investing in the home. Everything "works" but there are obvious cosmetic and functional systems that need some major attention. I've realized how much living in a space that I'm not proud of has messed with my headspace and energy. I'm frustrated that my home doesn't match the effort and work that I've put into creating our dream life. Since the house is a bummer, I just recently noticed that I've let some of my personal spaces reflect my feelings towards the house.
The back left corner of my closet. My Nightstand. The armrest storage in the truck. The first drawer in the kitchen cabinets. My home desk. The garage shelves.
I'll get to it tomorrow. I'll spend some time on it this weekend. When the snow melts, I'll get after it.
Principles can be used in different settings and situations. I'm realizing that the same snowball principle can apply to other areas of my life—especially the physical spaces I inhabit and how they affect my mental well-being. Maybe it's the "new year new me" energy but today when I woke up I took 3 minutes and organized and cleaned up my nightstand. There were a couple items that needed to be trashed, a document that needed to be filed, and a book that had fallen to the side that I've been looking for.
3 minutes.
I walked in and out of my bedroom a few times before I left for work. What used to be a reminder of my disorder, frustration with the house, etc flipped into a space that I liked looking at. It reminded me of the motivated, organized, and intentional guy that I like being around.
I'm snowballing this method. A few minutes every day, I’ll improve my spaces, my headspace, and my energy. I’m snowballing my mental health, one small win at a time.
What’s one space you could clean up in 3 minutes today? Maybe it’s your car’s console, the junk drawer in your kitchen, or a shelf in the closet. Start small, and watch how those quick wins add up.