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You are here: Home / Ezine / Can you believe MY desk was THIS messy? (How decluttering can save you real $$$$)

Can you believe MY desk was THIS messy? (How decluttering can save you real $$$$)

Erin Owen · March 5, 2013 · Leave a Comment

The Bottom Line: Decluttering can save your sanity, your well-being and your bank account. Read on to learn how I did it and how you can do the same for yourself!

It’s true. I am my own best client.

Whatever I’m working on in my own life informs how I support my clients.

If there’s a challenge I’m struggling with, I try a bunch of different approaches to see what works best. Then, implement, refine, implement, refine over time until I’ve created a habit and added it to my list of Platinum Practices.

After the holidays, I started to get behind on putting things away. And, I have some new activities in my life that involved new materials and folders that did not yet have a home. One thing led to another and voila: my messy desk.

It’s happened before, and it will probably happen again.

But, the impact this time was even more destructive.

Desk BeforeThe Ugly Truth of What I Discovered Amidst the Piles and Chaos:

Not only could I not find the business card of the prospect I was supposed to follow up with, I misplaced an invoice I needed to pay. That translated into potential lost revenue and potentially harming my credit rating.

In the process of re-applying my tried and true strategies for getting organized and staying organized, I found a rebate check that had expired. Lost money. It was only worth $4, but still – every dollar adds up!

I also discovered (thankfully) a reminder to cancel my business insurance policy before the end of the month, since I had found a more appropriate and more affordable replacement. And, not only did I find that prospect’s business card, but I also found the cards of three others I want to follow up with in my network.

Desk AfterThe FANTASTIC Results of Investing JUST 3 hours of my time:

In just 3 hours, I re-organized my desk, my shelves, and my filing cabinet. What kind of return did I get on this investment?

  • Relaxed shoulders, open mind, and more free-flowing creative energy when I look at or sit down at my desk to work – PRICELESS!
  • Ease of work and being able to find what I need when I need it – PRICELESS!
  • Prevented loss of the monthly rate I was paying for that redundant insurance – $50/month
  • Future income from the prospect who wants to work with me (and the income from the referrals she will give me in the future) – $$$$ (thousands!)

So, how did I tackle my desk and get it done in such a short amount of time with such great results?All my easy-to-follow tips, simple strategies, and inspiring (and often humorous) ideas are included in my new Clutter-Clearing, Performance Boosting Home Study Guide.

And right here, right now, I’m going to share 7 Simple Steps for Re-discovering your Joy, your Freedom, and your Money — at home or in the office.

Why Bother to Declutter? 

Decluttering your physical environment helps to:

  • Melt away stress
  • Increase our productivity
  • Boost your happiness
  • Save you real money (see my story above)
  • Improve relations with your officemates/housemates
  • Free-up your mental and physical energy and creative flow
  • and much more!

Nothing is better than that ahhhhhhhhh feeling that comes from feeling good in your body, performing at your optimum level, and receiving the resulting prosperity that flows freely into your life and business.And when there is room for free air flow, to see the surfaces and for light to shine through, there is room for new abundance to rush in. Welcome the new, positive energy that will come from investing a few hours (or less) in clutter-clearing.

Step 1: NAME IT! Pick a small decluttering project you can tackle in half a day or less AND potentially have a big impact on your well-being and effectiveness.

Consider what is draining your energy the most AND impeding your forward progress on the work that inspires you in this world and brings meaning to your life.

It could be your email In Box, or your work area (especially if it’s a disaster like mine was), or your car, or your bedroom (especially if it’s affecting the quality of your sleep). It might be your refrigerator, a oft-used pantry closet, or your living room. Anything goes!

Step 2: BLOCK IT! Block time in your calendar and create an appointment with yourself to tackle the project.

Step 3: PREP IT! Consider what you’ll be doing and what supplies you might need. For example, I knew that I would need some additional file folders and labels, a permanent ink pen, an empty container beneath my shredder, and a storage box or two.

Step 4: DO IT! Protect that time in your schedule and follow through. Think of it as an appointment with your most important client or customer.

Step 5: DOCUMENT IT! Take before, during, and after pictures, to track our progress – it’s so incredibly satisfying. Trust me!

Step 6: LAUGH AND DANCE THROUGH IT! Make yourself a cup of tea or another special beverage, put on some great music to keep up your spirits and laugh at yourself with each new discovery you make.

Step 7: CELEBRATE IT! Savor the moment of completion by sharing your success. Show it off to your co-workers, your spouse, your friends, and others. Post your photos on Facebook or Instagram. Ask them to pat you on the back. Or, do what I did: I scheduled a massage for 2 PM that same day after I spent the morning re-organizing. That was a fantastic reward for the hard work I put in!

So, what project will you tackle? And, when will you do it? Send me an email and let me know so I can help hold you accountable!

Need more support?

clutter clearing productFor a limited time, before the official release of my new home study course, you can reserve your copy of the Clutter-Clearing, Performance Boosting Home Study Guide at a special pre-release price.

Here’s an Overview of What’s Included:

Week 1: “Retrain Your Brain for Maximum Peace and Productivity” Get ready to say goodbye to middle-of-the-night wake-ups full of anxiety, forgetfulness, impatience, headaches, and mental exhaustion. In this week, you’ll choose one of the three simple strategies that will bring you greater peace of mind, improve your ability to focus, and reclaim control of your over-active mind. And no, it doesn’t require overhauling your life, your office or your home.
Week 2: “Increase Your Energy without Exercise or Health Food” Before you even consider changing your exercise or eating habits, try my less-is-more approach to feeling more alive and ready to receive opportunities. I’ll share three of my Eastern-inspired secrets for revving up your metabolism, energy and improving your sense of well-being that don’t require hitting the gym or eating super foods. You’ll choose just one of three simple strategies and you will be amazed at how quickly you’ll see results in your weight, your focus, and your drive.
Week 3: “Ward Off Those Time-Sucking Vampires and Discover Hidden Pockets of Time You Didn’t Know You Had” Take a deep sigh of relief, because after this week’s call you’ll have a fist full of garlic to ward off those people and dreaded tasks that suck away at your time like a thirsty vampire. Think of this week as the opposite of a Franklin Covey Time Management course. In fact, I’ll introduce you to Eastern cultural perceptions of time. Choose one of three simple tips to wipe clean hours of wasted time each day and re-inspire a more youthful buoyancy in your every day routines.

Week 4: “Feel Totally Together and Organized By Decluttering Your Everyday Routines” Do you sometimes wish you could press pause on your mail and email delivery so that you could get on top of all this stuff once and for all and finally have some peace and quiet? Well, you don’t have to! The simple strategies I’ll share with you will streamline how you experience your work day, how you go about achieving your goals and will make you feel sane in a relentless world of constant requests of your time. You’ll choose one tip to implement for maximum impact!

Week 5: “Lighten Your Load to Feel In Charge Of Your Life and Keep More of What You Make” Did you know your work and home environments can either propel you forward or weigh you down and hold you back? In this fifth week, I’ll show you how decluttering your office and embracing conscious consumerism can actually increase your bottom line, improve your relationships and fuel you with unlimited energy. You choose just one of the three ideas I share and the pay-off to your performance (and your wallet!) will be huge.
Week 6: “Discover My Secrets for Staying On Track No Matter What Comes Your Way” Want to learn the number one secret that keeps my clients on track for successfully walking their talk and living the life they dreamed? Listen in to learn how the minor set-backs, major detours, and energy-draining failures of everyday life and business can be leveraged to create a gold mine of guideposts to fuel your on-going and upward-evolving optimum performance.

And the special bonus is a free Q&A call with me!

More details here.

Here’s to you feeling lighter, more inspired, and more in control of your time and energy!

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