Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight (59 page)
Read Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight Online
Authors: Peter Walsh
Task 1:
DEVELOP A VISION FOR YOUR OFFICE SPACE
As always, your first task is to establish your vision for what you want this space to do for you. This will vary based on how much work you do from here. If you live in an apartment and work outside the home, you probably won't use this space as much as if you run a business from your home office.
Do you often talk to clients or colleagues via video conferencing? If so, you might want your office to look professional (at least within the spot
behind you that the camera sees). Do you want to spend as little time as possible dealing with the details of running a household? If so, you might want to make a priority of keeping this space highly efficient so you can do your work quickly.
I would recommend that your vision include:
Keeping this area
extremely
well organized in order to quickly get your hands on any information you need without wasting time searching
Setting up easy-to-maintain systems in your home office in order to pay all your bills, taxes, and other charges promptly so you don't generate late fees
Dedicating a self-contained space for your office if it's currently just a free-floating pile of papers and checkbooks without a home
Jot down your thoughts on paper to these prompts:
OFFICE VISION
This is what I want
from
my office space:
How I want to
feel
in this space:
Task 2:
SORT OUT YOUR MALIGNANT ITEMS
For a space that tends to be relatively small, your office area may have a
lot
of malignant materials. That's because finances can be stressful and upsetting, and you may have stashed away paperwork from numerous unpleasant life events in this area.
Go through your office area and collect paperwork and other reminders of stressful times. These may include:
Bankruptcy filings
Divorce decrees
Paperwork from legal proceedings
Medical bills
Paperwork or inventory from a failed business
Statements from investments that lost money
Exit materials from a job you lost
You may need to keep some of this stuff in your files, but you don't have to see it every day. It's important to put any paperwork that reminds you of a loss or makes you feel like you've failed someplace where it's not in your face.
If any of this stuff summarizes ancient history and you're sure you'll never need it, then pitch it. But if there's a chance you might need it someday, or your heirs might need or want it, then put it into deep storage, such as in secure bins in your attic or basement.
A CLEAN OFFICE NEEDS THESE TWO THINGS
The two biggest pitfalls I encounter in home offices are:
⢠A lack of clear and simple systems
⢠A
complete
lack of limits
What are systems? Here's an example: By placing all mail that comes into your home into a file tray that stays on a desk or counter, you have established a simple system that will serve you well. If you know exactly where your mail goes, where to find a piece of correspondence at a moment's notice, and what items need your attention at the end of the month, you make huge strides toward saving yourself headaches and reducing your stress.
In terms of limits, you only have the space you have. The moment you start overloading a space, you've begun to lose the clutter battle. If you designated one drawer for office supplies, then that's the only place your office supplies should live. Once the drawer is full, you've reached the limit you set. Don't buy any more office supplies until you deplete your stock!