Clearing Your Calendar with Grace + Gratitude.

Fall is my favorite time of year. There’s all things orange (my favorite color), cooler temperatures and, of course, pumpkin spice everything. Fall also brings about a natural time to reflect and release what no longer serves us in this season.

It reminds us that it’s okay to change.

Have you ever read Marie Kondō’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up? In it, Marie shares The KonMarie Method to decluttering and organizing your home.

When determining which items remain in your home, Marie tells clients to ask the simple question, “Does this spark joy?” If the answer is yes, you keep the item. If the answer is no, you take a moment to thank the item for the joy, memories, and functionality it has brought to your life. Then you release the item to go to a new home, wishing it well as you do. 

Simple, right?

The process sounds silly, but in reality it’s a beautiful practice of finding gratitude in the simplest of items. Everything has a purpose and a season.

Some people create clutter in their homes. Other people create clutter on their calendars. Some people do both.

Me - I’m guilty of cluttering my calendar. 🙋‍♀️

If I’m being honest, a full calendar makes me feel needed and productive, even if it is full of commitments that drain me. And for me, that’s not healthy.

It’s easy to over commit, especially at this time of year when the invitations and gatherings are plentiful.

However, when our calendars become so cluttered with “stuff” it’s often hard to see how full our lives really are, let alone find gratitude in the busyness of the season. 

Instead, we complain about the appointments, gatherings, coffee dates, sporting events, recitals, and more. Then, that complaining pours over into thoughts like house isn’t clean enough to host or the road construction is making me late and so on. 

Being grateful shifts your perspective on your current situation. 

As the season changes and nature naturally begins letting go of old blooms to make way for new growth, I invite you to do the same. 

Now is a great time to check the commitments and relationships that take up space on your calendar and dig into why you said yes. Is it out of obligation or guilt? Is it because you’ve always done these things? Are they challenging you, bringing you joy or inviting you to grow in any way?

What if we applied The KonMarie Method to our calendars? It might look like this:

1. Make a list. Take a good look at your life right now. Pull out your calendar and make a list of all your “stuff” - the people, projects and tasks that take up your time. 

2. Does this spark joy? Ask yourself if each person, project or commitment you listed sparks joy. If the answer is no, can you let it go? If you can’t let it go, because let’s face it someone has to do the dishes, can you let go or your expectations around it? Maybe dishes are done every couple of days instead of daily. Can you let your preconceived notions or judgements about the person, project or task go in order to make it more appealing? 

3. Practice gratitude. Spend a moment - even a few brief seconds - acknowledging how that person, project, commitment or task has served you well. Maybe you made a new connection or learned an important lesson? Whatever the reason, it served a purpose in your life!

By releasing the “stuff” that no longer serves you in this season, you free up mental and physical space in your life for people, projects and things that bring you more joy. 

Give yourself permission to say no and let it go!

Friends, even when life seems chaotic or feels heavy, we still have so much to be grateful for. Practicing gratitude invites you to see the fullness of your life rather than a perceived lack. We simply have to be willing to open our eyes and see it.