The human existence is worsened by clutter. Sometimes the amount of “stuff” stacks up so high that you just want to push the “reset” button. It’s like your brain crashing and getting the “blue screen of death.”
Clutter is everywhere you look: your email in-box, your snail mail box, your computer desktop, your voice-mail box -pretty much every aspect of your life on planet earth in 2008.
Clutter can be defined as any form of communication, correspondence, task or process that adds no value or gets in the way of adding value. Examples are everything from benign emails (most are), snail mail (mostly bills and credit card offers) to digital junk. Clutter is insidious, so you have to be vigilant.
Here are five ways that I actively use to get rid of all the clutter and junk that gets in my way of getting the truly important things done:
1. Delete everything
That’s right. I delete 99% of all email every day. If I receive an email that requires action, I will respond and then delete the thread. This forces me to be as clear and concise as I can be in my email, thinking through everything and putting any issues to rest. Chances are, if someone replies back to you again, the previous emails will all be in the thread. If not, you are talking about different subject matter anyway - so you just saved yourself some time and in-box space.
The more email I keep, either in my inbox or archived, it seems the more I have to do. Even though something might not need action, you still feel compelled to act. This is anti-productive.
2. Throw everything away
Every piece of mail I get (as long as it’s not a birthday card or money) ends up in the garbage. I do all of my bills electronically or through auto-pay. There is no need to have mountains of paper on your desk, either. The U.S. Army used to have a rule that went like this: “you touch a piece of paper only once.” Stick to this and you’ll be doing just fine. It has worked wonders for me.
This works for non-work related things too. Just picture all the junk you had to get rid of the last time you had a garage sale. There is no need to keep things around that just take up space and nothing more. Do everyone a favor and give it to the local Goodwill store or your some other worthy cause.
3. Send everyone to voicemail
Unless I am expecting a call for a specific reason at a specific time, I let every call go to voice mail. At least half the time there is no voice mail message left, which to me means that the call really wasn’t that important. If there is a voice mail, I can listen to the message and prepare a response (or possible responses). This helps take me out of reaction mode and into proactive mode.
4. Be anal about organizing your digital files
I am pretty liberal about the delete key on my computer. As far as files go, I try to use as few as possible. It is amazing how much hard drive space you can chew up in a matter of 12 months. No wonder they keep making these things bigger and bigger (or, maybe it is because they keep making them bigger that we keep using more and more space?). Immediately prioritize the files you need to keep and those which you can discard. By the way, don’t lie to yourself and say that “I may need this one someday…”
Also, be sure to keep the digital files you do keep in an organized file structure. You should have specific folders set up for specific things, and stick to it rigidly. I’m only telling you from experience - you can easily spend 15-20 minutes at a time looking for a file that you really do need.
5. Get things off your plate like a hot potato
Anything that requires action on your part should be dealt with in a timely manner. You don’t need me to really tell you this, but I think it’s worth a friendly reminder. There is a tendency to let inertia rule your daily actions and if the momentum is not on your side, your “to-do” list piles up quickly. This leads to overwhelm, which develops into clutter very quickly. Soon, you can’t see the forest through the trees.
If you commit yourself to dealing with important items right away (and discern what is truly important), then you will be able to free yourself from the minutiae that confounds your peers.
___
As always, take today’s Top 5 for what it is: some practical insight on what works for me and what I think can work for you. Take bits and pieces or only bits if you like. The over-riding goal is to drive success levels higher - namely yours and mine.
This was a great top 5 blog. Everyone should go about their day with these 5 tips in mind. I know these tips help me and our household run much smoother. We have a rule that if we haven’t touched personal belongs in our house in the last 6 months, we don’t need it and it goes into a garage sale pile or directly to Salvation Army.
I even use these tips at work. I can’t work without the clutter taken care of at the end of the day. It helps me start the next day fresh and ready to accomplish things.
Great Blog today Adam!!