Clean It Up! For Better Results
The past few days of last week were really physically taxing. My wife and I decided at the beginning of September to clean out our storage unit (finally!). We've carried it way too long. So we committed to getting it done before the end of the month. We spent the last three days of the month on this project and we did it!
Whew! Getting that project done is such a great feeling. A real sense of accomplishment. (Like the day a few months back when I totally reorganized the garage and put things in their proper place. Admiring the end result felt so good).
Success-driven achievers know that excess emotional baggage, clutter and incompletes can rob you of your energy. Things left undone or incomplete like unresolved relationships or projects take away from your mind-share. For example, that conversation you know you need to have with someone on the team, but you avoid doing so.
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As these messes and incompletes pile up they take up way too much of your attention and distract you from what you want to accomplish. And they negatively impact your ability to be the best leader you can be.
Incompletes or messes include: Promises not kept; closets overflowing; disorganized records; overdue car maintenance; incomplete home projects (guilty); people you need to forgive; time not spent with people you've meant to spend time with (e.g. family, colleagues, customers); acknowledgments that need to be given; among others.
One way to address this is to "chunk it down". Lay out all the tasks that you've been avoiding and start knocking them off, one by one. I find that I procrastinate because of the perceived time-suck; but once I chunk it down and get started, I have found that it's not nearly as difficult or time-consuming as I envisioned.
Decluttering your home, your garage, your office (your storage unit) of unused items, clothes, forgotten personal effects, obsolete or broken equipment will free you up from the mental and visual burden of all the clutter. Ask yourself, "Do I really need all that stuff".
Bottom line: If there is anything that you want to add to your life,
you have to make room.
Here's a simple process that you can employ right now to help you move forward:
Delegate it,
Delete it,
Dump it, Or
Don't Worry About it
What's irritating you? -
Daily irritants have a sneaky way of robbing your mindshare and taking up too much of your energy, attention and focus. They nag at you as you tolerate their existence. The best thing to do is to fix, replace, mend or get rid of those irritants.
Sometimes you just need to ask the right question(s). Make a list of what irritates you and then ask yourself the following questions:
How can I fix it?
Who can I delegate it to?
Who could I ask to help me get it handled?
How do I stop myself from asking?
What is the benefit of asking?
When will you ask?
Anger and Resentment -
Maybe you hold some resentment, or anger, or hurt and it's like dragging a big anchor behind you. If you could release it, you would be able to move forward faster.
Take responsibility for your emotions, don't avoid them. Acknowledge them and then replace them with understanding, compassion, forgiveness and love.
Until next time.
P.S. Would you like some help with putting these into action? Schedule a call with me (it’s easy and it’s free).
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"Clean up your own mess."
- Robert Fulghum, author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten