Clearing Clutter & Ice-Skating: What We Can Learn from Clearing the Ice

I have been watching all of the Olympic figure skating. I love it - the artistry, the athleticism, the mastery of something almost inhuman gets me with every skate. If you’re not watching the Olympics this year, it’s very different than previous years. For starters you can watch everything for free, whenever you want. And there’s NO narrating. AND, because the audience is close to empty you can hear the ice. Listening to the blades cutting into the ice and the words spoken by the skater and coach is so refreshing, and such a different experience.

So why I am I telling you this? What does this have to do with clearing clutter? There is also less editing. The show just keeps rolling between groups of skaters. As I watched the ice machines smooth and revive the ice I had a lovely thought: They’re clutter-clearing the ice! This is a perfect analogy to a healthy relationship with clutter.

At first, of course, the ice is not clutter. Just like some of your things are not clutter at first. You need and use them to support you in life. But as you use them and as time progresses, things wear down, and your need for them may lessen. Similarly, as each skater skates the ice gets grooves, holes, and chunks. Less-than-perfect ice conditions start to form, and it can be detrimental to skating. The iconic Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu, when asked what happened when he failed at his jump, answered that there was a hole in the ice his toe-pick struck, and that is what knocked him off his course. Maybe your clutter won’t cost you an Olympic medal, but it does have costs when it starts to build up!

After the first group of skaters skate, the ice is refilled and smoothed with ice machines, i.e. cleared of the “clutter.” All the skaters don’t just keep skating on worse and worse ice. For us non-skater humans, if we want all the benefits of skating on fresh ice in life, we clear clutter. When holes and chunks start to form that could trip us up, we remove them, to enjoy the skate of life again.

The relationship between ice rink and ice-skater involves maintenance (consistent clutter-clearing), in order for the ice to support skater, and the amazing feats she can accomplish. Your relationship with your belongings can be the same; consistent maintenance spells support and joy you can trust in, by your things!