If you’re like me, getting your mind to work well requires a clean and tidy work space. Any mess lying around creates a distraction, and the last thing I need when I’m trying to concentrate is distraction. Distraction is a thief of time! Hours pass by and you only realise how little you’ve done when it’s time to finish for the night. So, if you think you could do with some help clearing distractions and creating the ultimate work space, read on.
The steps detailed below can be applied to your work space at home or in the office and, even if you don’t think it might help, I urge you to try it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the results you get.
Step 1. Organise Properly – Before we start, get yourself some boxes or folders that you can use to put your ‘stuff’ in. There’s no point starting a clearing and tidying process if you have nothing to put the tidied stuff into, it’ll just end up cluttering your space again in no time.And it doesn’t have to be expensive, just get creative. Gather some old shoe boxes and cover them in old book pages, like this. They not only do the job perfectly, they also look wonderful and cost virtually nothing!
Step 2. Be Ruthless – don’t hold on to things that have no use. Be cruel with yourself and chuck out anything that has no use at all. Things that are of no use just now should be put away until they are needed.
Step 3. 80/20 Rule – I bet this rule features more in your life than you think. If I tell you where it comes from, I’m sure you’ll agree. It was invented by Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist in the early 20th century. He discovered that 80% of the wealth is owned by only 20% of the people. But, he also found that this rule can be applied to many different areas of life. So, you’ll probably find that 20% of your friends take up 80% of your time and you’ll only choose to wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. This rule also applies to your paperwork – you’ll probably find that 80% of your time will be taken up with only 20% of the paperwork on your desk. So, examine the other 80% of stuff to see if you can clear it out of your work space or get rid of it altogether.
Step 4. Everything in its Place and a Place for Everything! – Once you’ve decided what you’re keeping and what you’re getting rid of, you now need to decide where things are going to go. You should keep essential items that you use all the time close at hand so, once you are busy working, you don’t have to get up to find things, which can break your flow. Think carefully about what you use every day and make those things handy. Move other things, that are not used as much out of the way. And remember, you may not get this right first time. You may find, after using your newly cleared work space for a few weeks, that the things you thought were important, actually aren’t. If that’s the case, don’t be afraid to change things.
Step 5. Start Small – if you find the idea of de-cluttering a large space daunting, start small. You may decide that you fancy doing the whole house once you get started, but don’t overwhelm yourself at the beginning, or you risk giving up before you’ve achieved anything. Just start with one area and, once you’ve done that, move on to the next.
Step 6. One in, One out – This is a pretty simple rule, if you want to bring something into your work space, you need to take something out. So, if you buy a new book, decide which book you are going to give to a new home. This is a great way to stop clutter re-forming again once it’s been cleared.
Step 7. Tidy at The End of Each Day – When you’ve finished working at the end of the day, tidy away the things you’ve been using. It’ll only take a couple of minutes, but it’ll allow you to start the next day with a tidy desk and a clear head.
Step 8. Don’t go Crazy! – Whatever you do, don’t end up spending more time de-cluttering than actually working. This is supposed to be a process that allows you to spend more time working, so make sure that it does just that. Learn when to stop.
So there you have it – a simple plan to de-clutter your work space. Once this is done, I bet you’ll be shocked to see how much more productive you become.
