24 Sep Clear Your Space To Be More Productive
A friend shared a blog posted with some quick easy organizing tips this morning and that got me thinking about productivity and organizing. I try to keep a productivity voice to my blog – it’s what I do and who I am. But, sometimes good old fashion SPACE CLEARING is the one thing you need to do to be most productive. Everything I talk about is a cross between getting organized and being more productive – they are not separate, getting organized is what you do to make yourself more productive. So in honor of Jodi’s post, here are a few tips to help you clear some space.
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING: The greatest benefit of having a place for everything is NOT that you know where to find something when you need it (though that is lovely), it’s so you have a place to put things so they are not sitting around cluttering up your physical or emotional space. I always think more clearly when my space is clear and it only takes a moment to put things in their place. Having THE place is the secret. Here’s an example:
- Unattached or Unidentified Cords and Wires – everyone has them. My solution is to create a MYSTERY CORDS and WIRES BOX. When I’m looking for a cord or wire I know exactly where to go look. But the best part is that cords don’t clutter my surfaces, if I have one I toss it in the box.
LESS IS MORE: Seriously it is. When you have too much stuff you can’t see what’s important. If you leave everything out so you can find it you won’t really be able to find anything. The #1 tip for keeping stuff under control is to have less. It’s less to take care of, less to manage, less to clean. And the reality is you don’t NEED everything you think you need. We keep stuff to make ourselves feel better and it actually makes us feel worse.
- I challenge you to an experiment. Pick one thing today (pens, Tupperware, magazines, business cards) and do a purge. Divide them into 3 piles – love, don’t need and not sure. Donate the “don’t needs”, put back the “loves,” and tuck the “not-sures” out of the way for access later, just in case. Let me know if it’s not easier.
START WITH A CLEAN SLATE: When you start fresh it’s so much easier to make good choices. Start planning your week with a fresh to-do list, start working for the day with a clear desk surface, start cooking dinner with a clean kitchen, start figuring out what you need for your fall wardrobe by organizing your closet. Leaving old stuff just clutters everything up. Clear your space and you WILL be more productive.
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