I am often harassing my thirteen year old son to organize his room. Reminding him that it will be easier to find things, it will be more relaxing and his younger brother whom he shares a room with might follow his lead. Makes sense, right?
He complained to me the other day that he couldn’t find his shin guards because he had put them away like I had asked and couldn’t remember where to. He never had trouble finding them when they lived on the floor at the foot of his bed.
I see his point. I know exactly what is on my desk, even though it looks like a bit of a mess. In my defense, it serves as space for multiple purposes: my work, household bills, homework, knitting projects, a small library.
Today I am working in my husband’s office while he is away for the day. His desk is bare, aside from his keyboard and trackpad, a couple of framed photos and little bowl of office supplies (earbuds, eraser, etc.) He also has an attractive paperweight holding down no papers and a teapot shaped tea bag holder, empty, of course. He’s not quite so fastidious in the rest of his life, but his work space is always uncluttered and tidy.
I can’t help but notice how productive I’ve been this morning. It’s like the lack of clutter in the space, helps create a similar ambiance in my brain. My mind is not cluttered with thoughts, jumping from one thing to the next. I can sit and focus on the task in front of me without getting distracted by random bits of paper that catch my eye.
“Oh, right, I need to pay the propane bill.”
“Oh, look, someone forgot their homework this morning.”
“I haven’t gotten very far on that knitting project; I wonder if I have the gauge right.”
All of that in sixty seconds or less. No wonder an hour can go by before I feel like I have something to show for it.
Like my son, I want to justify my messy desk with, “I know exactly where everything is. The propane bill - here you go. Your homework - yup, I’ve seen it.” And no, no one is asking about the knitting project. My desk may not look organized, but my brain is.
The problem is that I now have all this mind-clutter, mentally keeping track of the precise whereabouts of each unorganized item. A few years ago, I learned how to use a calendar so that I wasn’t keeping track of all my appointments in my head. Once I was able to put down the calendar in my mind, it freed up quite a bit of space in there. I suspect the same would happen if I organized my desk and work area.
I am already anticipating the soothing feeling of a clean and tidy work space. Maybe I can convince my thirteen year old to try it, too.
Where are you noticing clutter in your life? What would un-cluttered look like?
He complained to me the other day that he couldn’t find his shin guards because he had put them away like I had asked and couldn’t remember where to. He never had trouble finding them when they lived on the floor at the foot of his bed.
I see his point. I know exactly what is on my desk, even though it looks like a bit of a mess. In my defense, it serves as space for multiple purposes: my work, household bills, homework, knitting projects, a small library.
Today I am working in my husband’s office while he is away for the day. His desk is bare, aside from his keyboard and trackpad, a couple of framed photos and little bowl of office supplies (earbuds, eraser, etc.) He also has an attractive paperweight holding down no papers and a teapot shaped tea bag holder, empty, of course. He’s not quite so fastidious in the rest of his life, but his work space is always uncluttered and tidy.
I can’t help but notice how productive I’ve been this morning. It’s like the lack of clutter in the space, helps create a similar ambiance in my brain. My mind is not cluttered with thoughts, jumping from one thing to the next. I can sit and focus on the task in front of me without getting distracted by random bits of paper that catch my eye.
“Oh, right, I need to pay the propane bill.”
“Oh, look, someone forgot their homework this morning.”
“I haven’t gotten very far on that knitting project; I wonder if I have the gauge right.”
All of that in sixty seconds or less. No wonder an hour can go by before I feel like I have something to show for it.
Like my son, I want to justify my messy desk with, “I know exactly where everything is. The propane bill - here you go. Your homework - yup, I’ve seen it.” And no, no one is asking about the knitting project. My desk may not look organized, but my brain is.
The problem is that I now have all this mind-clutter, mentally keeping track of the precise whereabouts of each unorganized item. A few years ago, I learned how to use a calendar so that I wasn’t keeping track of all my appointments in my head. Once I was able to put down the calendar in my mind, it freed up quite a bit of space in there. I suspect the same would happen if I organized my desk and work area.
I am already anticipating the soothing feeling of a clean and tidy work space. Maybe I can convince my thirteen year old to try it, too.
Where are you noticing clutter in your life? What would un-cluttered look like?
 | Jessica Curtis is a professional coach who helps people cultivate intention and live from a place of meaning and authenticity. If you think you could benefit from working with Jessica or want to invite her to work with your group, reach out to start a conversation. |
Sign-up to receive my newsletter and blog to your Inbox:
RSS Feed
