Imagine having a new home built. The day finally arrives, the builder calls you up to tell you that your house is finished and you can move in.
You call the moving companies load up the trucks and head over to your new home. When you get there you notice that there is dust all over everything from all the sanding and sawing that was done. also there is dirt and debris all over the floor from that workers coming in an out of the house. Lastly there are drop cloths, plastic, tape and tools everywhere.
So what do you do? Obviously you just begin to move in. You put all your dishes in the cupboards and drawers, put in all the furniture, and hang the pictures and blinds, and then when that is all done you can enjoy the beauty of your new home.
I agree if you saw someone doing that you would think they were quite off. So why is it when we want to start getting our life on track we always try to build it on top of all the dirt and clutter?
Take a look at your workspace. Is there clutter everywhere? Are there thousands of emails that need to be deleted, computer and paper files that need to be purged and organized? Outdated books and magazines that need to be trashed? Office drawers that are so full and messy that every time you try to take something out your hand gets stuck in the tangle?
We have to be a little crazy to think that we can effectively start new projects when we have all the clutter and chaos around us. You need to start from a rock solid foundation. Doing so will help you to focus on your task and be clearer in your thinking.
Before you begin to take on that new challenge, take a day or two to clean house, get things in order and once you have it all together begin to plan forward. You will be amazed at how much more productive you are and how much more ease there is in the entire process.
Coaching Questions:
- How will I feel when I have “Cleaned House”?
- How will “Cleaning House” help me to accomplish my goals?
- What clutter do I need to get rid of to clear my space and mind, so I can move forward on my next project.
- What have I not looked at in years and will probably never look at again, can I toss it?
