Declutter, Don’t “Get Organized:” Smart ADVICE for Busy Christian Women Solopreneurs

Psalm 127:1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Have you ever been told, “You just need to GET ORGANIZED?” Read on to learn why this is bad advice and what you really need to do is declutter.

One thing you’ll notice about successful CEOs of any size business is that they are clear on who they are, who they serve, and what they have to offer. These 3 CEO foundational decisions guide where their time is focused and what’s on their should-do list…and what’s NOT. 

But what often happens to solopreneurs who are trying to figure it out as we go, is that we listen to too many voices and think we SHOULD do everything others say they do. It becomes too much. 

Since there’s no Board of Directors to give some redirection, you just keep piling on more, wasting more time, resources, and energy, and feel the burden and guilt piling up too. 

Rather than telling you to, “Get organized,” I’m going to give you advice to change things, whether you feel a little burdened (or a lot) by all your should-do’s. Because it doesn’t matter what your business is. If He’s called you to it, you’re called to use it to be salt and light and draw attention to Him. We’ve got kingdom work to do in the way we do our work, right?

Declutter

Let’s start with a working definition of declutter so we’re all on the same page.

DECLUTTER (v):  the act of intentionally creating space for what matters most by purposefully removing anything that distracts. Synonym: simplifying.

Decluttering is not about what you give up but about what you gain.

We’re going to cover four simple steps and how they will help you declutter your should-do list. Jot them down, and we’ll dive into each one.

1. Count the cost of Should-do’s.
2. Clear out Should-do’s for good.
3. Ditch Should-do’s with purpose.
4. Experience Should-do’s freedom.

1. COUNT THE COST OF SHOULD-DOs

You probably have a LOT of SHOULD-DOs on your list – all the platforms, the programs, the people, the posts, the plans, the podcasts, the protocols you feel you SHOULD be using to grow a successful biz.

Add all the Bible studies, the family time, the coffee dates, the investments, the workouts, the food prep, the hobbies, and the adventures you SHOULD be doing to create a balanced life.

Not to mention all the dishes, the laundry, and the dirty floors you SHOULD keep up with to maintain your sanity.

But have you ever stopped to count the cost?  

Undoubtedly clutter in your should-do’s is costing you both time and money. 

It costs time to purchase, transport, set up, use, clean, and maintain the things that you couldn’t live without. And it costs time trying to do and manage your should-dos all while continuing to work on your biz. More, whether it’s stuff or should-do’s, always costs time. 

Things aren’t free (or if free initially, things cost you some cash somewhere down the line). The more spread out your time and attention, the less anything gets of you.  You’re either willing to pay someone for the convenience of handling things for you, or you’re not giving enough attention to your biz to get it to the point of turning a consistent profit because something else needed you in the meantime.

Then there’s the cost that can’t be measured in minutes and hours, or cents and dollars. Your excess stuff and should-do’s both cost you energy and stress because when your space or time blocks are too cluttered, you’re not coming from a place of rest.  If every time you open up your calendar or computer, shuffle the post-its or papers, or take stock of your counter space or head space it can easily be too much, and your heart starts racing, your breathing increases, and your palms start sweating. 

That’s why Prov 24:27 tells us  “Do your planning and prepare your fields BEFORE building your house.” 

Getting distracted by everything you think you should do BEFORE plowing the soil and planting the seeds costs time, money, energy, and stress. That’s because trying to figure out how to feed yourself (what really mattered) got buried under all the other should-do’s.

So what are the should-dos on YOUR list costing you? Your faith walk, your relationships, your finances, your wellness, your enjoyment, even your business?

Are you up for saving yourself time, money, energy, and stress? 

Good. Let’s move on to step 2.

2. CLEAR OUT SHOULD-DOs FOR GOOD

We need to understand that decluttering is NOT the same as organizing. 

You could take everything on your should-do list and categorize it, rewrite it in pretty colored pens and highlighters with post-it flags and tags, but it wouldn’t change much, at least not for very long because it would still all be there.

Organizing is just making all the same junk look pretty. It doesn’t get to the root of why you have everything on your should-do list and how to keep more from piling up. 

Don’t take the bad advice you’ve been given for years, or what you’ve told yourself you SHOULD DO to get organized. Declutter instead, which according to our definition, includes intentionally removing anything that distracts to create space for what matters.

So how do you know what stays and what goes?  That’s where step 3 comes in…

3. DITCH SHOULD-DOs WITH PURPOSE – tied to WITH-God vision-specific goals.

Don’t look for all the things you DON’T want but rather the ones you DO.  This step involves clearly identifying your WITH-God priorities in both life + biz.  Who and what do you really need to invest in to maintain and grow?  

If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend completing a WITH-God Life + Biz Vision exercise, which you can access inside the REDEEMED Midlife CEO Coaching Program. It comes complete with question prompts for each area and the support to follow through. 

But in case you’re not one of my CEOs YET, grab a piece of paper and write down the 8 key areas of your attention:

1. faith walk
2. family
3. friendships 
4. service/biz 
5. stewardship (aka finances + resources) 
6. wellness
7. passions 
8. dwelling

Take a few minutes to prayerfully list a few people or things that truly matter in each category – those which you are called to by God. Without this step, the last one won’t work. 

Some categories may be easier than others or feel more important, but remember all are essential to a balanced WITH-God life because if any one of them doesn’t get consistent attention for too long, it will DEMAND your attention. It always costs more time, money, energy, and stress that way! Prevention is always easier than correction. 

And now it’s time to pick up that should-do list to truly do step 4.

Prov 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.“

4. EXPERIENCE SHOULD-DO FREEDOMS – time, resources, energy, space.

Perhaps your should-do list is written neatly in a notebook, on random post-its, or filed away in your brain. Wherever it is right now, get it out. I especially want to address those of you who keep it all in your head (or try to). No wonder you feel so scattered and distracted! Because you can’t see it, it’s hard to change it!  So if you don’t have anything in writing, I recommend pausing to do a quick brain dump and then paying attention to the 1000 or more things you forgot to add to the list as your day and week go on. I don’t mean just the things you do but also the things you’ve been told to do or think you should do.   

Perhaps to simplify the process you just list all your biz should-do’s. Then you can duplicate this process for other areas of life. And doing this could be exactly what you need to start shifting everything about your ROI. Doesn’t that sound good…and wise?  After all, we’re all about scattering seed that produces a hundredfold harvest of fruitfulness not what just gets trampled, scorched, or choked out by all those should-do’s. 

Got a list of SOME kind in front of you?  Ok, here’s the hardest but best step you can take. Cross something off.  What absolutely DOESN’T NEED to be done?  What is bringing little if any results? What is a distraction from what would bring results?  What is just one more thing?  Permission to take it off the list, and then do the same to another and another until your list is truly the essentials. What’s essential you ask? Inside the REDEEMED Midlife CEO I give you the Simple Biz Growth Checklist so you know exactly what to focus on and how much. To access one, grab one of the BUSYNESS BREAKTHROUGH CALLS at redeemhertime.com/breakthrough. 

Keep doing this decluttering process whenever you notice you feel like you’re short on time, resources, energy, or high in stress. 

Let me share the recent CEO decision I’ve made to declutter something good that was keeping me from other things. 

I have decided, because I’m the CEO, that after the CEO’s DECLUTTER SHOULD DOs Workshop Series I’ll be going down to just one episode a week, which will come out on Mondays. Not only will this give you just one episode a week to listen to but an entire week of support through the community to think, pray, and act on how God is calling you to respond. Ahh…doesn’t that sound more spacious and more productive?

My download growth may go down. But maybe not because less is more for you too, and that will allow you to not only listen more often but get more out of it and share it more often. That’s what it’s all about – not the metrics but the hearts that are changed that lead to a ripple effect in your life + biz as you lay down random busyness in exchange for faithful fruitfulness.  

I trust this will be a good change of pace for us all. And I know that if it’s what He’s calling me to let go of, He will be faithful to do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or imagine. To Him be the glory! 

Do you trust Him as you remove things from your should-do list too?  I hope so.  Let’s do this decluttering TOGETHER. 

Get support inside the Redeem Her Time Community. You can join us at redeemhertime.com/community. Come share and get inspired by other women also faithfully seeking to build a WITH-God Life + Biz. 

Get access to all the training from the CEOS DECLUTTER SHOULD-DOs workshop. Head to redeemhertime.com/declutter to get all the details + goodies in your inbox. 

Remember, instead of chasing time on a clock and trying to control it, receive the gift of time from the One who truly holds it because as His daughter, YOU. HAVE. TIME.