Monday, October 31, 2016

Making your bed makes you more successful

Read time is approximately 2 ½  minutes
In the last post, we discussed new beginnings as in a new beginning of a school year or a new project. The question posed to ask yourself is, “What one thing can I do today to make myself more successful at…?” 

If you came up short on an idea or didn’t take an action, let’s start again. Notice I did not meet my blog goal (it has been almost two months since I posted rather than once a month).  That does not stop me from posting today. Just because any of us falter once or even a few times, it doesn’t mean we should give up on the whole project. Sometimes we falter because we need to shift our focus, sometimes our technology might fail us, or sometimes life just happens. Today’s post includes steps that we can take to feel successful and get back on track.  

Gretchen Rubin, one of my favorite authors, wrote an article featured in What Inspires Me. In her Sept. 6, 2016 article, “Calm your mind by Clearing Office Clutter,in Less than 5 Minutes” she writes that clutter is overwhelming. Clutter can be a number of small unfinished tasks that lead to a feeling of paralysis, she writes, and offers ten suggestions for controlling the clutter.

Three of the most powerful suggestions are 1. Make your bed, 2. Beware of freebies, and 3. Tidy-up for five minutes.

1. Make your bed seems unrelated to productivity, but it actually can be powerful. Making your bed not only sets the tone for the day, but it also gives you an immediate feeling of accomplishment. You will build on that positive feeling all day.

2. Beware of freebies is one of my biggest personal challenges. I need to remember that I already have a stack of bags from conferences and three extra silicone phone pockets and those tee-shirts never fit anyway.  All those freebies add up to physical clutter and mind clutter. If I really want a silicone phone pocket, I can buy one for $1.74 online. 

3. In the next post we will talk more about the power of a five minute tidy-up. It is amazing how much I can get done if I set a timer for five minutes. When I come back to the project the next day, my workspace is organized and I am better able to focus.

To see all ten of Gretchen Rubin’s tips, click here to go to “Calm your mind by Clearing Office Clutter, in Less than 5 Minutes."

Please share your best practices for clearing your space—and your head—of clutter in the comment section.