Clearing Out Life's Clutter

You've got 29 amazing ideas in this book on how to partner with God and keep Christ forefront of your life around the holidays and every day of the year. Before we jump into today. I have a really fun idea that I'm going to be sharing with you. It’s great for list makers, people that are super organized who want to  keep their lives organized. It also really works for people who like to fly by the seat of their pants. I'm going to share with you something that I do every holiday that feeds both of those needs. It helps me to stay organized to be able to complete the tasks that are important to me.  We have cleared a lot of clutter.  We've cleared out your closet, we've cleared out traditions that are not really exciting, not really fun for you…almost  busy work…a task itself. We've cleared some of those things out…a lot of distractions that keep you from focusing on the most important things through the holidays. You’re only left with the essential things as you've cleared those things out. Because some necessary tasks need to be done, I’ll be sharing with you in a moment a fun way that I complete all the tasks that are important through the holiday season and most especially through December, which we are almost into.

Before I do that, though, I have prepared something extraordinary for you. One more chapter, and we are done with these stories. I want to ensure that you can continue on this daily journey of partnering with God through gratitude, prayer, and scripture. I have a brand new program, a brand new course, that I want to share with you. It's called 30 Days to Your Inspired Life https://mentoring.wylenebenson.com/30-days-to-your-inspired-life-sp

With that 30 Days to Your Inspired Life, you're going to receive a physical copy of my 30-day Planner. It’s the Daily GPS Planner. You're also going to receive a special bonus book. It's a co-authored book with Kris Krohn called Limitless. This book spells out in detail, the process, the breakthrough process that I was taught in the very beginning. right after I had a heart attack when half of my heart stopped working. I was living life with a half heart. This breakthrough process really saved my life. It turned my life around. Now I am whole in all areas of my life where I was broken in all areas of my life before. I'm going to share that book with you. It tells my story and teaches the breakthrough process that the first mentor that I hired taught me. I went on to do that breakthrough process with thousands of people as I partnered with my co-author in his Limitless Organization.

I still do this breakthrough process. I call it Power Alignment now. My process is slightly different from what you'll read about in the book, but the foundational process is the same. It's all based on the same breakthrough process. Limitless the book is a special bonus that's going to come with your GPS Planner and the 30 Days to Your Inspired Life course. I’m also including a VIP ticket for you, plus a bonus complimentary guest ticket to a LIVE event that I do a couple times a year. I know it is going to be something that you will definitely want to  participate in. That is the special offer for anyone who goes to the link above. This is especially for you who are committed and loyal to doing your Daily GPS every day. Those who are in life to partner with God through gratitude, prayer, and scripture. I want to  make sure that you for sure have this opportunity. 

Okay, let's go back to that fun little exercise that helps me stay focused on the most critical things completing my tasks during December. And it’s FUN! Now one nerdy thing I do is I have a spreadsheet for the holidays. I also do a debrief after the holidays.  I will go back and refine my holiday experience so that it's even better next year.  Do you remember I mentioned I used to do gingerbread houses during December? But to get all the materials together and get everyone together on the same night now that my kids are grown, it's easier for me to do that after Christmas. So we do gingerbread houses in January during Hibernation Days. Hibernation Days is an extra month of traditions beyond Christmas. It gives us something to look forward to after Christmas.  Plus, January is one of those dead months. It's still cold outside, and there are no holidays. So hibernation Days lets us stay indoors and still have fun. It's usually a big letdown after Christmas and New Year's. This allows us to continue celebrating throughout the next month. It makes winter go a little bit faster. 

Now that we've cleared out some excess tasks and projects that aren't working for us in November and December, we are left with the most critical studies. I love making lists. I get excited when I get to check something off my list. This is a fun way to have my list, check it off, and countdown to Christmas simultaneously. There are 25 tasks, so it’s an advent calendar too!  I sewed…you do not have to be a fantastic seamstress to make one of these. I found cute little reindeer at a craft store and sewed it at the top. There's a little loop at the top so that I can hang it on a nail. Then there is a red ribbon about an inch wide and a two-inch wide white ribbon (you can choose whatever colors you want) behind the one-inch wide ribbon. I  sewed a straight stitch horizontally 25 times, so I have 25 slots. Each paper has a task. Each day there is one crucial task to complete by Christmas. For instance, my first task this year is to write Christmas cards and prepare them to mail. I used green cardstock with white paper glued in the center to keep with the Christmas color theme.

I put that on December 1st. I want to get those out as soon as possible. They need mail time, and I have to write them out. A little bit of work needs to be done before it gets done. The next one this year is neighbor gifts. I always like to do something fun for my neighbors. When I complete each task, I turn the paper around. That’s like checking off my list. I can see all the things I've accomplished because they are white. And the ones that are still waiting are green.  Those endorphins can run through my brain, saying, “yes, I checked something off!” But I don't get overwhelmed with what hasn’t been accomplished because I can’t see the rest of them. The following paper is plain green until I turn it around. 

The coolest part about this is I put it away with the Christmas decorations every year, and when I pull it out next year, the whole task list is already there. I don't have to think, “what was I supposed to do?” I don’t have to worry about forgetting something. All the tasks are already there. This is an idea for somebody who is a list maker and if you have tasks to do but you want it to be fun. You can try my opinion or not. I encourage you to find a way to remember from year to year what those most important tasks are. And keep stress on the low-down because you only see one task at a time. Your list will evolve over the years. Gingerbread houses used to be on my list. It's not anymore. Planning Hibernation Days are on there, but it's towards the bottom.

Now that you've cleared out all the clutter, your exercise is to write down the most critical tasks. Then, brain dumps them, make a nice readable list, cut them apart, and create an advent calendar, so you only have to look at the one crucial thing for that day. Also, remember that your Inspired Shortcut goes to the top of your list from your Daily GPS every day.

This a quick reminder to get started on your 30 Days to Your Inspired Life course. Only get that if you want to have an inspired life during the holidays and partner with God throughout the year and throughout your whole life. Because that's what 30 Days to Your Inspired Life can give you.