210. .Leveraging Mercury retrograde for clearing clutter in all areas of your life and business

A lot of people are worried when Mercury is retrograde, because things often go wrong or get delayed, but did you know this is a fabulous time for clearing clutter, finishing things and fixing things? 

Listen in on what to be aware of, what to avoid, and what to do instead. 

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Conny 0:02

Well , hello , my friend . Welcome to the podcast . How are you doing ? Thank you so much for allowing me back into your ears . If you're a regular listener of the podcast , you can hear that I have a stuffed nose today and a really weird voice . I apologize . I'm not quite sure if it's a sinus cold or if it's allergies . I feel okay , but it sounds weird , so I hope you can bear with me . So I wanted to celebrate great news here with you because during the first quarter of 2024 , I was going through an intense astrology training and I'm happy to say that I passed the final exam and I'm so proud of myself . It was quite demanding , but sometimes it's really good to challenge oneself , right ? So stay tuned for more content around astrology and how astrology can help with decluttering and finances and , yeah , just in general , how to bring more peace in our life and business with astrology .

Conny 1:08

And just because the topic is astrology today , I want to focus on Mercury retrograde . The planet of communication and transportation has turned around today actually April 1st , if you listen to this right when it comes out and he is going to be retrograde for a three-week session and is going backwards until April 25th ,

Snafus of Mercury Retrograde

Conny 1:35

and a lot of people freak out when they hear that Mercury is retrograde because things could go wrong or be delayed . And that is true , because things could go wrong or be delayed , and that is true . The planet Mercury rules communication , contracts , agreements , transportation , scheduling and technology . So if something goes wrong , it does affect our daily life and , most likely , our business . And I actually experienced that already today . A team's meeting didn't want to work right . I couldn't hear the other people . They could hear me , but I couldn't hear them . And yeah , no rebooting and no fiddling with the settings helped . It was funny , in

What to avoid during MercuryRx

Conny 2:20

a way , how it showed already up . Yeah . So here a little bit of a list what all could go wrong in these three weeks . Yeah , so here a little bit of a list what all could go wrong in these three weeks .

Conny 2:25

So , first of all , communication is harder , and listening to other people seems harder too , and therefore a lot of misunderstandings can happen really easily . The other thing is we might be more forgetful and if you're anything like me , I'm already forgetful , so anything more is not very great . And the other thing is , too , is like we might be less patient and have a shorter fuse , so to speak . So , yeah , be mindful , be patient and understanding when communicating becomes a challenge Also , for example , really read or reread emails and text messages twice to see if , when you're writing them , if they really express what you mean to say . But when you're getting emails and text messages , try to read them correctly and don't jump to conclusions , because you could misunderstand and , if in doubt , ask clarifying questions before you get ticked off or insulted by something that someone sends to you right , or says to you also . So the other thing that is also important is you want to avoid signing important contracts , especially if you're a bit unsure about them . Remember misunderstandings , so you might not understand 100% what you're signing or what you're getting into . So it's better to not sign anything important . You can review contracts , projects and plans , and you could agree with the other party that it is your intent to sign the contract , but to actually sign it is better to wait until after the 25th of April .

Conny 4:12

In transportation we could have some snafus as well . You could miss a train or a plane connection . That could be a little bit disturbing . Your car could break down or you may end up in traffic jams you could get . You could be late for meetings , appointments , and no matter how early you leave , because that's just the energy that is right now happening . The other thing is this ties in with communication . You might understand when and where the appointment is and end up in the wrong place or at the wrong time , right ?

Conny 4:49

So again , transportation , communication , and then also technology . Your computer could crash or just like for me , sound may not work , and I really hope you get this podcast because I'm recording it on the first day of Mercury retrograde . Yeah , so your computer could crash . So you want to make sure you have a backup and if you don't have one yet , really make a backup right away . Right , so that you have one in case your computer crashes . Software updates could go wrong . I don't know whether you ever had that , but I had that once where I did an update and then nothing worked anymore , and so maybe you don't want to update your computer or your smartphone until after the April 25th , yeah .

Conny 5:34

So , in short , in life and business , mercury retrograde periods can cause our plans to go topsy-turfy , how my friend Michelle from Australia would say . So they just snafus happens , right , but that doesn't mean you need to be worried or stop living and working . It simply means that you want to be especially flexible and plan in extra time for travel , for example , leave extra early to get to meetings and appointments , and also have a backup plan , a plan B , in place . Right so good

What this time is good for, what to focus on

Conny 6:09

. Without that out of the way , let's focus on the good sides of Mercury Retrograde , the things that this time is very beneficial for , because it is a fabulous time for clearing clutter . Also for rethinking and regrouping of what you're doing , revisiting topics , trying to ponder about them and see whether you can resolve them , wrapping up and finishing up project and tasks , but also fixing broken things , especially unfinished things , and projects and items in need of fixing are an often overlooked category of clutter , but we all have them , me included , really , and you can listen to my other episodes about the categories of clutter and how unfinished things are really clutter .

Conny 7:08

So , in short , in these three weeks , you want to clear your plate and clean up stuff so you can move on in your life and business with less clutter and less chaos . So let's look into it in a little bit more detail . So , for example , in the physical space , one little . Well , I don't want to say warning , but just be mindful . You don't want to decide in these three weeks to get rid of dilemma items , dilemma items , that are items that you are wondering whether or not you should let go of , and in these three weeks that's not a good time to decide . You want to get rid of them because you might regret it later , maybe Because , as I said before , we might not be all clear and so you could regret your decision . So just leave dilemma items to decide .

Conny 7:52

But everything else is really best time to declutter now so you could , for example , do a love tour and try to see your home and office with fresh eyes and then reflect on it , rethink how you want to use your space , maybe journal about it even , and then reconfigure your space , maybe rearrange your space . I did that recently because I have now a stand-up desk and I have a bigger screen , so now I have almost like two workspaces , one where I can stand and one where I can sit . And I did that during the last Mercury retrograde . I reconfigured my space . So that is a good time to do that . Just not make big structural changes right , for that it's not the right time . But just like shoveling around the computer or pushing around furniture that works , that works , great , yeah .

Conny 8:49

And then find things that need fixing , like whatever you have broken or unfinished in the house . You might have leaky faucets or a drawer that is stuck and doesn't slide nice anymore , or light bulbs that need to be exchanged because they're burned out . Now is really the time to take care of your physical environment , of your home and your workspace and just do all these little things , these little things that you have pushed in front of you for so long already . Take care of them now . And since mercury also rules transportation , how about you declutter and clean out your car , maybe , and go and do that overdue oil change , fill up the windshield , washing fluid , check the pressure in your tire all these little things that we tend to neglect but that are important . And since Mercury is also ruling transportation , you want to make sure your car is in perfect shape so that it doesn't break down .

Conny 9:51

Right , if we're in the office , or even in your private life , you will want to go through the pile of paper that we have piled up somewhere to go through one day in the future . So maybe you start really clearing that pile and you start with five minutes a day you know and process these papers . And again , if you are iffy about a paper because it could be an important one , then keep it for a bit longer . But I know when I work with my clients there is so much that they know already they want to get rid of . There is no if or when about it , it's just they haven't done it yet . So just get rid of all these things and then maybe for the future you want to start not piling up these things .

Conny 10:38

So I was just talking with a friend this week and she was so surprised that I could pull up an article about gardening within seconds that I had on my computer . And she said , no , she has such a big pile that she needs to sort and file and that she couldn't pull up just an article like this . And I said , well , it's really better to have a system and then save this stuff right away instead of letting it pile up , because nobody wants to go through a huge pile of papers to file , me included . Right , bite the bullet and go through your pile that you have right now and then in the future don't let it pile up anymore . Do every day or every other day right away , file these things so they're put away , right . And then another thing you might want to start doing is while you're going through that pile of paper .

Conny 11:31

There might be important documents in there that you need to really keep in a safe place . I have a list of what all emergency or important documents are and how I keep them . So go on my website and find that article where I talk about it , or actually I will put the link in the show notes so you can find it . So what are important documents for our life and especially also for our business , and how should we keep them so that we have them in case of an emergency right and then , for example , in the social environment ? If you have a very cluttered schedule or an overfull schedule , I think maybe it's time to go through it and see what you could kick out and create some more elbow space for yourself . Or if you find that you don't have enough time allocated for important relationships or for your family , then go in and clear out some not so important or necessary stuff and put in time with your family and friends .

Conny 12:40

And then we get to to health . Health is also an area where you want to review your schedule , maybe , and see whether you need to put more time in for your health , either to go to the gym or go for a walk or go do yoga or meditation or anything that is really good for your health . Because , remember , I always say too , it's like clear and clutter is self-love and it is reducing stress , and our body is often stressed when we work . I for sure know , when I sit all day , I need to go and go for a walk . Luckily my little dog , marty . He tells me every day we need to go for a walk so I can prioritize it . But I can be just like you and not prioritize it , and then a week goes by and I haven't done anything for my health . So maybe you want to review your calendar and see whether you really do enough for your health .

Conny 13:38

And then for the mental health , mercury retrograde is a great opportunity to look inward and reviewing and re-evaluating our circumstances and intentionally let go of limiting beliefs and stories that keep us stuck , which I call mental clutter . Right , just like what are you telling yourself that you can't do , or you can't make space for health , for example ? Well , yes , you can , because if you don't , then maybe your body breaks down in the most inconvenient moment and you will have to take time . So we better do it proactively and intentionally . Right , slowing down , which also helps avoid miscommunication and mishaps of all kind . As much as we can and as it is in our power is really good in these three weeks , taking time to reflect on where we are right now and where we are headed . We already have one quarter behind us in 2024 , so only three more quarters left . Are you on track with your goals ? Maybe you want to review your goals , revise your goals I sure had to revise my goals and to see that we are on the right path , where we actually want to go . So these are all excellent steps to do during Mercury retrograde Again , slowing down and making sure that no mishaps are happening and also that you're on the right track .

Conny 15:05

Yeah , so I come to an end here , because you're probably sick and tired of my weird voice . I have a really hard time now to talk anyway . So let's summarize . So , during these three weeks of Mercury retrograde , you want to A slow down and be very aware that Mercury rules communication , contracts , agreements , transportation , scheduling and technology , and keep that in mind that things in those areas are more likely to go wrong or get delayed . Snafus can happen . So be prepared , be flexible and have a plan B and second , instead of starting new projects and signing important contracts , which I really don't recommend you do . Rather , wrap up and bring already started projects and tasks to an end , clear your clutter and chaos and fix minor broken things . Also , step back and review all areas of your life , including your health and your schedule , and make sure you are heading in the direction you want to head into .

Conny 16:16

Okay , my friend , that's it for today . Thanks for bearing with me and with my weird voice . Have a beautiful week and talk to you next time . Take good care and be safe .

Bring your chaos to me

Conny 16:36

You can bring your chaos to me . Use the link in the show notes and sign up for a complimentary 30-minute chaos to peace jumpstart call where we will address your most pressing pain point around clutter and chaos and how to solve it in a few minutes a day and , if you're ready , we can also discuss options for moving forward together and how I can help you out on your journey from chaos to peace . You'll find the links to sign up in the show notes .