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No Room for Clutter by Brian Bartes

Is your desk piled high with paperwork? Have your kitchen counters become the collection site for junk mail, keys, and school bags? Does your mind run a million miles a minute-without any focus? Or, do you spend time worrying about something that happened yesterday that you have no control over today?

If any of these situations look familiar to you, you are the victim of clutter. "Clutter" is a dangerous seven letter word that can make you cringe. It is anything physical or mental that prevents you from being productive, clear-headed, and at peace.

When you see clutter, you may think that it is just a mess that you'll get to later. But, in actuality, the longer you let physical clutter linger, the more it will affect you-mentally!

Clutter can cause unnecessary stress and a lack of organization. It can cause you to forget important tasks, appointments, and deadlines.

Get rid of the physical clutter and keep your space clean and organized:

Find a "home" for everything: mail, bills, keys, school bags, etc.
Throw away, recycle, or give away anything you aren't using. For example, don't let old newspapers and magazines form a pile-instead recycle.
File papers that you don't need immediately. Make individual files for all the paperwork you deal with and develop an organization system that works for you.
Only keep the essential things on your desk that you use often, as well as a few personal items such as photos of your loved ones.
Don't let sticky notes overtake your desk-and your life! Try to keep important notes organized in a notepad.

As soon as you get rid of the physical clutter, you'll feel a huge sense of relief and you'll naturally start to eliminate the mental clutter. You'll have a "clear plate" so you'll feel like you can take on any task, project, or curve ball that life throws your way. You'll have more time to take care of your primary responsibilities at work and at home. People will notice a new and improved, relaxed you!

There are many other benefits to getting rid of "mental" clutter, including:

You'll be able to focus on the things that are really important, rather than insignificant things that just take up mind space.
You'll clear up valuable mind space that can now be used to generate creative and new ideas.
You'll feel less stressed because you'll know where everything is.
You'll be less distracted because you won't be thinking about the clutter you need to clean up.
You'll feel more attentive in conversation because you won't be thinking about all the other things you need to be doing.
You'll have fewer headaches because you'll be less stressed and tense.
You'll be happier because your life will be in order.

You already have too much to keep track of in your life, you have no room for clutter! So, if clutter is affecting your peace of mind, get rid of it immediately. Toss it, file it, recycle it, or forget about it!

Brian Bartes is a top personal and business success coach. His bi-weekly newsletter is filled with strategies that support you in achieving greater success in your personal and professional life. Subscribe today at his website, www.lifeexcellence.com.