Is it possible to truly leverage mental space (in your own mind) while you are working or living in a crowded physical space?
At times, we find ourselves confined—almost trapped—when we are working in tight, cluttered (even if well organized) quarters. Speaking for myself, it’s time to seriously purge. My office is located in a back room in my condo. Between all of the consulting and client binders, resources, my ‘library of business books’….not to mention all the materials for my modest travel photography business, I can’t breathe—much less intelligently think—in there anymore!
It occurred to me that perhaps I should lease a remote office space such as OfficePort—an environment where consultants such as myself work on their own businesses, while also taking advantage of opportunities to collaborate with other consultants.
I opted against that solution, because I realized that it would just further delay the inevitable: I must remove ‘stuff’ from my work environment. Period. It’s time. And it’s tough self-love.
That decided, I cannot justify hiring a personal organizer when, in fact, I consider myself a savvy business woman who clears through ‘clutter’ with her clients to assist them in their marketing and business development planning. So what are the options?
I’ve decided heed the words of my friend Stephanie, who recently pointed out: “When one is trying to simply purge their environment, then they think ‘what is it that I no longer need? What can I do without?’ Versus, when one is moving to a different country, their attitude is this: ‘what can I absolutely not live without?’
The latter attitude sounds like a good approach: start with the absolute necessities and move outward, rather than starting with the biggest picture, and trying to trim it down. A former boss and colleague at CUH2A used to habitually (and liberally) clear out his files every single holiday season, during those slow days between Christmas and the New Year. While I would spend those same days filing, cross-referencing, and continuing to ‘organize’, he would actually be ridding himself of things that were simply no longer needed.
But for those of us who are in great need of mental space right now, let’s keep in mind that September is back -to-school time; there’s no time like present for us to get in gear and give ourselves a fresh, uncluttered start to fall 2009, freeing our minds so we can most easily provide our clients with the high quality services they deserve.