Know when I change light bulbs? Not when they go out. No, I usually change a half dozen light bulbs right before company arrives. (Or when light bulb #3 has gone out in the office and I can no longer see.) I let those little things pile up until they really matter. What a difference it makes when they all get changed at once!

Yesterday I checked a lot of little things off my very long to-do list. I finished with folders that had lain on my desk for days—and refiled them. I entered receipts in QuickBooks so they could get put away. I cleared out old emails and scheduled appointments that I’d been neglecting. I. Dusted. My. Desk.

What a relief. What a lightness I felt. Magically, I gained energy that allowed me to write and work for several more hours in the evening.

There is an interesting balance between focusing on the big things—the “rocks,” as Stephen Covey would say—and the little things, the “pebbles” and “sand.”

Focusing on the rocks means you get your real priorities done. The tough stuff. The important stuff. The meaningful stuff.

But sometimes a day or two of focusing on the pebbles and sand can be hugely beneficial.

When you let the little things stack up for too long, they start to weigh on you. You feel a nagging sense of “what did I forget?” at the back of your mind. Sometimes that nagging distracts you from the meaningful stuff.

That’s your cue to focus on the little things.

I have only a rudimentary understanding of feng shui, but one concept that sticks with me is eliminating clutter. If it’s broken, fix it or throw it away. If you no longer use it, give it away.

There is something soothing about declutterizing. Creating physical order can also create mental order. A calm environment allows for a less agitated mind. THEN space opens up for more important things to come in. THEN you can focus on the rocks.

We’re about due for a trip to Goodwill to drop off unused clothes. And another to the Habitat ReStore to get rid of reusable light fixtures, window treatments, and door hardware. And another to the hazardous waste place to get rid of old oil paint and random pesticides from the prior owner. Sounds like a good Saturday of declutterizing.

I can’t wait to see what fills the space we open up.