Clear Your Desk to Clear Your Mind

Have you ever felt that feeling of overwhelming dread when you see your desk? Papers are piled high and a deadline is looming. You can’t find your notes and you are worried about letting down the people who are counting on you.

Your breathing starts to become more shallow and your jaw clenches as you shuffle papers and move notepads. Finally, the page you need floats to the top of the mess. With a sigh of relief and an easing of the tension in your shoulders, you can make real progress on the project.

Much of this extra stress and anxiety came about because your mind was distracted by the negative environment of your office space. There are parts of your job that you can’t control but you can control the way you interact with your colleagues and the way you react to stress.

This past week I have been reading Jon Gordon’s The Energy Bus. One of the quotes that stayed with me is when he writes, “To run a successful organization, you must learn to manage people’s energy, including your own.” Positive energy is easier to use, and keep using, when your mind is clear.

Want to create space for your own positive energy? Try some of these tips to clear away the clutter:

• At the end of each day put away the files and documents that accumulated throughout the workday. It is even better to keep your desk as tidy as you can. A minimalist surface allows your mind to rest on the empty spaces and focus on the task at hand.
• Allow yourself ample time to transition between tasks by putting away what you don’t need right now.
• Digital clutter can also lead to feelings of overwhelm. Try turning off notifications on your phone and desktop. Unread emails will keep coming no matter how often you check your accounts.
• Sign out of your social media accounts. Checking Facebook and Twitter every five minutes creates a lot of mental clutter. Choose when to check your accounts rather than checking them by default. In 6 Ways to Keep Your Relationships Healthy on Social Media, I mentioned the importance of knowing when to go offline for your mental health.

How is your energy at work? Are you focusing on the things you want to be doing, that you need to be doing? How is your energy at home? If you are ready to start improving your energy so you can live the life you are meant to be living, contact me so we can talk.