Clear your desk, to clear your mind

Christmas is well and truly over and you’ve probably got a few more books, gadgets, or general stuff all around your house, with probably many dumped on your desk or waiting to be ‘tidied away’.

The start of the year is a great time to have a clear out, get rid of the old, and welcome in the new.?Most people think that the start of the year is the perfect time for setting goals or New Year resolutions and whilst I love a plan, the beginning of the month, at the start of a fresh year is the perfect time for a good clear out.

So what’s so good about having a good clear-out or tidy-up (apart from getting those other people in your life off your back)?

1.?????Good for your mind – when we start to get rid of things that don’t work, we don’t like, or don’t need anymore, we’re making positive decisions around changing our personal space.?We’re building our confidence as right before our eyes we can see small yet important changes around us.

2.?????Good for reducing your anxiety – have you noticed that when you feel more positive you are more motivated to do things, make changes and possibly even have a good tidy-up without being asked??And the opposite is true – when we start to feel overwhelmed, anxious or scared our life can feel messy and so can our personal space.?When we feel that way our brain goes into Survival Mode and releases too much cortisol into our bodies. Taking action to get rid of our mess will help reduce your anxiety.

3.?????Good for your mood – when we focus on doing one task and seeing it through we are tapping into our Success Mind where we are more creative, focused, organised and looking after ourselves which all give us a positive mood lift.?

4.?????Good role modelling – not all of us have our own workspace, and if you are sharing with someone who is messier than you then it can feel like an impossible task to have a tidy shared space.?So rather than think of tidying up the whole room, think small, find something that is solely yours a shelf, a desk, the place you keep your files, and just work on that specific area.??You may find that your co-worker will want to copy your tidy space – in their own time of course (you know what they are like!)

5.?????Good for others – if you follow my life hack (see below) then no doubt some of your unwanted stuff will benefit others.?When we give to others, we feel a wider connection to our community and the world around us, sending wonderful natural chemicals into our bodies such as oxytocin (social), serotonin (happiness), and dopamine (reward).

6.?????Good for your nose – let’s be honest, too much stuff on your desk, or piled high in a corner is a trap for dust, hidden and forgotten about items, as well as a welcoming space for all manner of creepy crawlies.?Having a good tidy-out is a chance to clear up and also clean up your space, helping you breathe better.

7.?????Good for managing your time –do you remember your parents droning on saying, ‘if you put it back in the same place, you’ll always be able to find it’??There’s something in that, as after a clear out or tidy up, you’ll know exactly where everything is or at least be able to see your things in order to find them.

8.?????Good for your creativity – if you’ve got too much stuff around you it’s easier to get distracted, not only because it’ll take you ages to find what you’re looking for (see tip 4 again) but also because your attention is divided on what it wants to focus on.

9.?????Good for your self-esteem – look around at what you’ve achieved in just a short space of time.?Think of what it looked like before and what it now looks like and you’ll no doubt be feeling a sense of pride, achievement and feel boosted by your inner motivation to have tacked this personal space.?And on top of that, you’ll have given your self-esteem (how you see yourself ) a good polish too!

10.?Good for setting goals – letting go of things around us that don’t work, are out of date, or we've moved on from them, is a reminder to us of how far we've travelled personally and professionally .?In order to get ourselves ready for what we really want to work on, we first have to let go of what isn’t.

Life Hack - Follow these 4 C’s rule.?

Here's how to tackle your workspace, desk, bookcase or filling system by setting up 4 different piles of bags or bins. Once you've decided that something is no longer needed, then simply choose one of these four piles to put your unwanted stuff in.

• Crap – what is actually rubbish, broken, out of date and really needs to go in the bin or shredder?
• Charity – what can you donate, pass on to a colleague or friend or even other businesses?
• Choose – who can you gift this to personally, a young associate, or someone starting out?
• Cha-Ching – what can you sell?

Once you've got some space to breathe.... then the goal setting and planning can begin!