Three simple steps to de-clutter your life so you can see your vision clearly.

By Bernard K. Haynes, Author, Speaker and Coach at Lead to Impact, LLC

What clutter do you have in your life that is hindering your from living out you vision? What are the consequences of too much clutter and how do you know when you have hit your maximum capacity?

Too many choices

We live in a world full of choices. You go to the store to purchase toilet tissue and there are two aisles dedicated to toilet tissue. You have to choose from about forty different brands. You have scented, unscented, pre-moistened, 1-ply, 2-ply, soft, ultra-soft and the list goes on. As you can see there are so many toilet tissue choices that it can overwhelm any shopper.

And this is just the toilet paper aisle. The rest of the aisles in the store are filled with many choices to decide from. This many choices can leave the bravest shopper overwhelmed and exhausted. A supermarket that offers a full line of groceries, meat, and produce can typically carry anywhere from 15,000 to 60,000 SKUs (depending on the size of the store).

We generally think of the wealth of information or choices available at our fingertips as a good thing. The abundance of choices and information at our disposal can act as a double-edged sword. Instead of making our lives easier our lives become more complicated.

Finding the right information and making the right choices can benefit you in meeting your desired goals. But, getting overwhelmed with so much information and so many choices can leave you frustrated and fatigued.

Too much clutter

In today’s information age, it’s easy to clutter your life. The wealth of information and instruction at our fingertips makes acquiring knowledge easy and readily accessible

At the click of a mouse, you can pull up an endless number of blogs, articles, websites and YouTube videos. Many of them promise they have the secret to blogging successfully, online business success or the right steps to getting rich.

In my case I gathered and researched tons of information on how to start and maintain a successful blog. I subscribed to several blogs that focused on succeeding as a blogger. I would read blog after blog after blog about blogging to the point of exhaustion.

I cluttered my mind with so much information that it left me confused on what to do. I would read one expert and attempt to implement his advice to find out two months later he was saying something different. I would then find someone else with a five step process and try to implement his or her strategy only to find out; their approach did not work for me.

All the researching, asking people’s advice, reading expert opinions and information gathering had a diverse effect on my vision journey. I stalled out. I had acquired vast knowledge and tons of information, but it had become a pile of clutter.

Does this sound familiar? Whether it is trying to lose weight, beginning an exercise program, starting a business, financial planning, or learning to use social media effectively, it’s all too easy to get caught in the clutter of collecting more information, instruction, insights and never move into the action.

Three steps to de-clutter

The good news is that if you find yourself trapped under the weight of clutter and it is about to crush your vision, there is a way out. If you are ready to dig yourself out from under the clutter, implement these three simple steps and see your vision clearly.

1. Stop gathering information

Stop, right now. You have gathered enough information to last two lifetimes. You have researched enough resources to write three dissertations. You have asked enough people’s opinion on what you should do.

Close all thirty browser windows, return the books to the shelves, put down the phone and close your email. Tell everyone thanks for the help and their suggestions, but you are good.

I found it necessary to step away from all the distractions and “detox” from gathering more information. You can’t afford to exhaust anymore time gathering more information until you develop a plan to implement the mountain of information you have already gathered.

2. Realize you possess the answer

You have done the research and gathered the appropriate information. You have read and listened to the top experts in your field. You have gotten opinions and advice from well-meaning people.

Stop waiting for someone to give you the answer to what your already possess. Stop waiting for something magical to happen. The reason you keep reading, asking and researching (and reading, asking and researching) is because you believe your vision is somewhere out there, waiting for you to find it.

Do not waste another second deliberating or over analyzing what you need to do. To get where you need to be, just slow your role, shut your mouth, refocus your thoughts and look within. If you do, you will realize that you are already equipped and empowered you with the correct answers to steer your vision on its destined course.

3. Take action.

If you are stuck in a perpetual research and gather loop, the only way to bust out is to act! Don’t worry and stress yourself out if your vision does not happen overnight. Your responsibility is to commit to it and live it out consistently.

Obtaining all the pertinent information is great, but it is absolutely ineffective unless you apply it. Many individuals are afraid to take action because they are sure that they will get some things wrong. To feel safe and secure, a lot of individuals avoid taking action to prevent from making errors or failing.

If you are one of these individuals, you really need to get away from this stinking thinking and take the appropriate action to get the results you desire. Action in and of itself is a powerful motivator. Taking the first step in your vision will help you feel more confident about your current situation and the action steps you need to implement next.

“Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self.” Eleanor Brownn

Question: What choices do you need to make today to rid yourself of any clutter that is hindering your vision? Leave a comment below.

Originally Published at ThriveGlobal