After selling my business in December, I suddenly had a lot more time on my hands.

Of course, I did what you might expect – took some trips, played some golf, and enjoyed a slower pace of life for a bit.

But I’ve been doing something else that’s surprisingly fulfilling.

Cleaning up.

It started with the office. Emptying 10,000 square feet of equipment, furniture, and company artifacts.

The process brought back memories and provided an opportunity to appreciate where we started, what we built, and how we grew along the way.

But it also provided boxes full of papers and documents to go through.

Utility bills from 2006? Glad we saved these.

I scanned a few things to archive, but most of it was unnecessary. I recycled hundreds of pounds of paper and paid a company to shred another 100+ pounds of ancient documents.

It was freeing.

Then I started looking for opportunities to clear clutter around the house.

I didn’t have to look very hard. There was a corner of my room where a pile had been accumulating of (more!) papers to go through, things to donate, etc.

This kind of work is never urgent and doesn’t feel very important, so it’s typically not a priority – at least it wasn’t for me.

But freedom of time makes it easier to do things that wouldn’t be a priority otherwise.

I didn’t keep track of my hours, but if we totaled it up, I’m sure I spent multiple days (if not a week) sorting paper.

It sounds kind of pointless, but so does meditation.

This was an act of letting go. It was a clearing. And it provided a sense of relief.