080: What Swedish Death Cleaning and Productivity Have in Common
If you want to get to ‘lagom’ with your brain, be sure to sign up for a free What Matters Most session. Just go to https://www.eliseenriquez.com/whatmattersmost/ to grab a spot on my calendar.
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My new favorite word is “lagom".
It's Swedish and it means “not too much, not too little, just the right amount.” I learned about ‘lagom’ on the new TV series "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning", which is based on Margareta Magnusson's book of the same name.
So what is death cleaning and what the hell does it have to do with productivity?
Swedish Death Cleaning is a practice of decluttering and organizing your stuff so that you don't burden your loved ones after you die. It's a kind thing to do for others AND for yourself, and it doesn't necessarily have to be done right before you die or even later in life. There are those who would argue it's never too early to let go of what no longer serves us. <<Ahem. I'm one of those people>>
I've always noticed some overlap between professional organizing and the productivity work I do, so I thought we could explore the parallels between Swedish death cleaning and productivity in this episode.
1. Start as early as possible so that you have time to go through everything carefully and make thoughtful decisions. The same goes for your productivity. It's never too early to make spend your time on what matters most.
2. Take stock of your possessions. This is what the bonus brain is all about - it holds everything that needs to be remembered so you be intentional about how you spend your time.
3. Decide what to keep. This could look like getting clear on what matters most in my definition of productivity.
4. Decide what to discard. What are you going to let go of so that you can spend your time on this planet with your people the way you want to?
5. Consider what to leave behind. What do you want your time here on earth to mean?
6. Organize your possessions. The same can be said for your goals, projects, and actions.
So tell me, where do you have "too much" right now? And what is one small thing you could do this week to get closer to lagom in that area? Be sure to head on over to TheProductivityShift on Instagram or Facebook for the emoji challenge. Use emojis to tell me what area of your life has too much and use emojis to express how you'll feel when you get to lagom in that area. Or use words if you prefer.
Resources:
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, by Margareta Magnusson https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gentle-Art-Swedish-Death-Cleaning/dp/1786891085
“Psychology: Your Attention, Please” based on a study by Princeton University Neuroscience professor Sabine Kastner https://paw.princeton.edu/article/psychology-your-attention-please
**This podcast is lovingly created by yours truly, Elise Enriquez, and produced by Rachael Sanya.
