Category Archives: Monika Becker

New Year’s Decluttering – Done!

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j0409028 Welcome back and Happy New Year 2010!

In my New Year’s Eve blog I promised to keep you posted on my de-cluttering efforts over the holidays. So here it goes: I tackled my desk and the clutter consisting of business cards, file folders and notes that I had told you about. I took the file folders and put them in the appropriate places in my filing cabinet, which wasn’t very difficult. Lo and behold, there was actually some desk surface peeking through and encouraging me to keep going.

Now on to the business cards. As an interim solution – until I find a better way of storing them – I took a cardboard box, divided it up into four segments (one for each of my networking groups and one for ‘Other Contacts’) and put all my business cards into the appropriate slots. Oooh-kay! This now started to feel really good – I was motivated to do more! I felt in control again and got into that mode of operation, which, once you start it, becomes self-propelling. It felt great and I kept going.

Next were the notes and sheets of paper. I went through them one by one, threw out what was no longer needed and filed the rest. Done! I… Was… Done! My desk was cleared up; I had created space and room to breathe. That felt so awesome!

How long did it take me to do that? Less than two hours! Unbelievable, less than two hours to rid myself of a mess that had affected my mood and my efficiency for at least two months!

So, what did I learn from this exercise? It’s actually not that difficult to regain order and control if I set my mind to it. It all starts with my attitude, my mindset. It’s ME and nobody or nothing else that is in control of my mind, the conclusions I draw and the actions I take. No excuses, I’m responsible and I have the power to create my experience. Wow, that was a good realisation!

Now, what’s next? What will I do to keep things as tidy as they are now? Come back – I’ll tell you!

In the meantime, though, I’d be curious to hear from you: How do you keep your life uncluttered? What are your de-clutter strategies? How do you feel with a clean desk?

Monika is Owner at Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching and is located in Vancouver, BC.

New Year’s De-Cluttering

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Clutter Is it that time of year again? Time to let go of the old ‘stuff’ and make room for the new? It’s not just about New Year’s resolutions and intentions, for me it’s also about tidying up my physical space and creating some more order and room to breathe and live and work better. I’m all ready for it and will spend some dedicated time over the New Year’s holidays de-cluttering my home office and my private space.

De-clutter? What does that actually mean? What is clutter anyway? The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines clutter as ‘crowded and untidy collection of things’, and for these language experts cluttered means ‘crowded so as to cause confusion, esp. with many small objects’.

Hmmm! Many small objects? Confusion? Yes, I can relate to both! Do you know the feeling when you can’t find something that you know you put on your desk, but now there are a gazillion of new business cards, file folders, bills and notes on top of it? And once you’ve dug it out and used it you put it back on the desk, only to cover up something else that you might need next? Grrrrr, I’m really tired of it! Tired of not finding things I need, and tired of feeling so ‘stuffed up’ with all these little things that they really weigh me down. They are in my way, mentally and physically, of getting done what I want to accomplish. I need more space! And I will create just that!

So, here’s my plan: I’m going to de-clutter my home office tomorrow morning and I’ll spend a good couple of hours on that. Would you like to know how that works out and what else I do to get and keep my space in a tidier state? Well, then come back in the New Year and I’ll tell you all about it! Happy New Year from Vancouver to the world and here’s to a clutter-free 2010 – on every level!

Monika is Owner at Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching and is located in Vancouver, BC.