The work edit - declutter, detox and destress
Last weekend I encouraged you to “live in the moment” and discard some of life’s excesses to help with that. Primarily I focused on the “stuff” we keep but probably don’t need. My reasons are straightforward – everything I keep is something that I might need to worry about sometime. Where to keep it, the need to find it or whether at some point it will still be useful are all challenges to be addressed. But this is not that same blog written differently, it’s the work edit. Maybe it’s time to archive some emails or clear your mind of clutter?
When did you last get tangled up in the weeds of a historical or legacy work challenge? And how did you manage to survive? I discovered relatively early in my consultancy career (working as an interim) that when some colleagues hear the words, “here to challenge our thinking” they simply must “tell you their history”. It’s as though they sense that I can’t help if I’ve not lived through their pain – every single detail of it. My brave and polite response, now well-rehearsed, is that I “need a little context” (of course I do) although maybe not the entire history. What can we leave behind?
For me, this is another example of where encouraging others to declutter their explanations (as well as their thinking) helps with the solution. Less stuff to worry about. Let’s focus on the here and now, how are we going to fix this? Deep breath, live in the moment and be ready to move on. Let’s change what we can, rather than dwell on the past or worry unnecessarily about the future.
When did you last exclaim (or even swear) about the number of unread emails in your inbox or incomplete tasks on your “to do” list? Go on, own up, we’ve all done it at some point, haven’t we? More recently, I’ve become much more relaxed about what I simply can’t achieve. If you know me already, you’ll know that I push hard to get things done, to deliver a project or come up with a winning solution yet I can only work with the context I have, as well as my strengths and my colleagues. I’ve learned through experience that I don’t have the super-human powers some people think I have! And I’m getting better at owning that. Just like my weight and my ambitions.
This is my work detox, and I’m thinking more clearly about what I can do to make a difference in the current context, rather than the future utopia or the final panacea. I’m living and working in the present and I am present. How about you? What’s your winning strategy for cutting through the volume of communications coming your way? Most of us know that we work so much better after a short break and that keeping hydrated as well as active is good for our health, yet when did you last stop, breathe (I mean really breathe) and clear your mind of work excesses? When did you last stop working when you said you would? Honestly?
It seems that taking a break from work and going for a short walk (or something equally relaxing) is a fabulous way to clear your mind of clutter. And then clutter-free and as if by magic, the bones of a solution begins to take shape. Why not try it out this week and draw some comparisons? Whether you’re working from home, a central hub, a retail park or the local café, perhaps it’s time to mix it up a bit and do something different around midday? Remember it’s OK to think about yourself sometimes, even when you’re working. And it anyone tells you differently, just consider all the times you’ve thought about work “out of hours”.
My work offers flexibility and my workspace is my home yet I seldom leave the house and go out into the garden for a change of scene during the day. I make the excuse that I can’t see my laptop screen in the bright light, yet much of my work is thinking and playing out solutions or scenarios in my head. Put simply, it’s just an excuse. This week I’ve decided to mix it up a bit and try out something new. Who knows, the cows in the background might just be real? Change starts with you and it’s infectious. Where will you work happy this week?
If you’ve found lots of excuses that are preventing you from making change happen where it’s needed, and you think I can help, Let’s talk.
