“Decluttering is the solution”, I found myself saying when I discovered that too many books and files actually killed the entire concept of a desk. I found myself mumbling “I have no room to write things” as I moved about observing the desk before me. I know I tend to leave piles of my current work in progress mixed in among all kinds of other papers and spread out over the available surface as I think through the process. It tends to slow my process because the space is too full of books calling my mind away from the subject at hand or bills that want paying. I find myself looking at other things instead of the work I need to do today…Now.
Understand the clutter
Avoiding the clutter is classic stalling; some would call it your inner resistance. This chaos is the key reason to clear your desk. The rule of thumb here is clutter is fine, but only if it is the only thing you are working with. When just spreading out the details becomes a distraction because other things are mixed into what you are looking at, it is not a useful tool.
I am still far from perfect on decluttering, but at least I have cut the clutter reduced down from a stack of fiction books to read, a few various tomes on improving writing and the months bills to a desk calendar, a planner and current book notebooks, my computer (which is another source of clutter all by itself), One fiction book in mid-edit, my reading for my current book, writer’s mind practice materials, an expanding tickle file, a timer and lamp. It’s still a lot, but at least I can now work on my desk because I can see the surface of my desk. That for me is a big win.
Clean thinking machine
Second on the decluttering list is, you guessed it, the computer. I had no idea I had collected so many files in my One Note or any number of various files all over my desktop and main file storage boxes. It was a nightmare of going through all the collected pictures, memes, articles, idea notes, etc… Nothing was consolidated in a single file. Disgustingly I found quite a few times I had several files on the same subject all over the system. I had five on blogging in OneNote alone. Some of them were even duplicates of other files.
I would like to say I cleared this in one easy go. No. That is far from the truth. It took me two weeks to declutter and organize the picture and video files alone. I had to be ruthless. At times it almost felt like I was going to sacrifice a child or amputate an arm at times.
When I was done I could not believe how much faster my machine started to work as the files decreased the space on the hard drive. I had grown used to the speed it chugged through things along with comments from my teens on how slow it was.
Next decluttering task
While I have greatly enjoyed how much better my machine performs, I have liked more the increased energy I have not to write in the mornings. It is like closing all the open files in my mind, giving me focus again. It took my production from maybe half a page or so a day to knocking out three or four good pages in the morning alone. I tell you that is a lot when you are writing the story in a spiral notebook with a Bic crystal pen.
The next thing I take on next is the file pile that is my storage case next to my desk and the folder basket under my desk. For now I leave that till tomorrow.
There are some really amazing studies out there that show a cluttered space does affect your emotions, health and mind. It’s not a one way street though. We gain and loose with clutter. A messy desk can make us creative too. Like many things in life, it’s all about balance. Even the great Einstein had a messy desk, but you should remember that the area around his desk was not cluttered.
For a further look :
Here are five ways to make the decluttering process easier.
Take one small task at a time.
Be careful with this one. It’s easy to take what you think is a small thing only to find that you are going to have a lot more than an hour of work in a hurry. When you do find yourself in too deep, readjust your expectations, but do not quit. Once you are engaged, just sink your teeth into it and get mule stubborn. Refuse to quit till the project is done, but change your expectations to limit your bouts and their times. Then take it on like Rocky. Those piles don’t stand a chance against that kind of force.
Limit the time you are going to work.
Use just five minutes when you start. You can quit after five minutes no matter the amount done. You’re done. You can do more, but five minutes gives you a running start and an easy win. This game is about the long term. You did not get into this mess in just an hour. You won’t get out an hour either. Decluttering is a process. It takes time to change both your space and your mind. Give yourself enough to come back tomorrow and have another go
The corollary of setting a minim amount of time.
Stop your work after a set maximum amount of time. It’s easy to keep pushing till you are sore in body and mind. The game plan here is to be able to get on with other things need to do in your life and not burn yourself out.
Do some decluttering every day.
Like anything else you do daily, working on the clutter in your life can become easier and more effective over time.
Congratulate yourself for every win.
If you worked today, you won. You can hack this. I reward myself with a note on my calendar to show I have done the work and reinforce the effort. Keep every trick to keep yourself motivated at your disposal.
Choose to just clean up first. Ignore the word declutter.
Dust has its own negative feel. A pile of awkward papers and books looks like an accident about to happen by itself. Adding some dust just adds to the misery. It might not reduce your weighty stuff list, but neat stacks sans dust will make you feel better. Feeling better when you sit down to write is part of the battle. Removing the chaos bombed landscape before your eyes will helps remove the chaos in your mind.
My decluttering findings.
The more I have worked at this over the last few months, the more I have found that I have less resistance to sit down and write. When writing, I can stay focused on my work without so many distractions It is an ever improving biofeedback loop that works. Give it a try.
Self-discipline on the writer’s path. Writer’s Self-discipline Pays, After Work is Done You Step Forward.
Photo by Matthew Sleeper on Unsplash