Decluttering Your Schedule, Not Just Your Home
“Decluttering is just decision-making in yoga pants, with frequent snack breaks and at least one dramatic moment involving a junk drawer.”
We’ve all Marie Kondo’d a junk drawer into submission and felt briefly victorious. But then the calendar taps us on the shoulder, clears its throat, and laughs. Because clutter doesn’t just live in closets. It breeds in schedules. It hides in obligations. It multiplies in “quick favors” and “one more thing” commitments that quietly steal your breath. That last one is one that always sneaks up on me because it is NEVER just “one more thing”.
I believe healthy living isn’t about doing more. It’s about making room. Room to grow tomatoes. Room to stretch on the mat. Room to cook real food that actually knows where it came from. This is your permission slip to declutter time itself. 🌱🧘♀️🥕
Why an Overbooked Schedule Sabotages Healthy Living
When every hour is spoken for, your nervous system never clocks out. Stress hormones spike, digestion sulks, and your body forgets what calm feels like. Gardening gets postponed. Yoga becomes “someday.” Whole foods turn into whatever fits in a drive-thru bag. I have been here for years and left wondering why I have anxiety issues and can’t lose weight properly.
Research consistently shows that chronic busyness increases cortisol, which impacts sleep, weight, and immune health. You don’t need a new planner, although I do love my Happy Planner with a fierceness. You need fewer yeses.
A great breakdown of how stress impacts the body can be found at the American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
Understanding what stress was doing to me was my turning point toward true health.
How Gardening and Yoga Create Natural White Space
I always say that my garden is so big because I need that much therapy. Gardening is a masterclass in patience. Seeds refuse to be rushed. Soil demands attention, not urgency. When you schedule time to tend a garden, you automatically slow down. Your hands get dirty. Your mind exhales.
Yoga works that same magic from the inside out. A regular practice, even ten minutes, retrains your nervous system to recognize safety and stillness. It’s never about touching your toes. It’s about touching presence. Connecting with your own breath and body.
If you’re curious about how yoga supports mental clarity and stress reduction, Yoga Journal explains it beautifully here: https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/health/yoga-for-stress/
Eating Whole Foods Declutters Us on the Inside
Cooking real food requires space in your day and intention in your choices. When your schedule is cluttered, convenience wins. When it’s intentional, nourishment does.
Planning meals around whole foods doesn’t mean elaborate recipes. It means choosing ingredients with one name and no marketing team. Vegetables, grains, fruits, healthy fats. Simple. Honest. Grounded. My rule is that if I can grow it, it will nourish me. properly.
A Gentle Challenge
This week, declutter one commitment instead of one cabinet. Replace it with something that feeds you. A walk through the garden. A yoga flow at sunrise. A meal cooked slowly with music playing and nowhere else to be.
Your life doesn’t need more productivity. It needs more glimmers. ✨