“The first step in creating the professional life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t” – Joshua Becker
With unprecedented times and an unknown future, our workloads and stress are ever-changing. Spring cleaning may be the last thing, or first thing, on your mind. Regardless, most of us can benefit from some old-fashion spring cleaning, aka decluttering.
Why are so many school leaders often immersed in clutter? According to Ireland-based declutter therapist Breda Stack, there are several reasons many professionals are overwhelmed: “Clutter brings up uncomfortable emotions, particularly when one considers chucking things, and most people don’t know how to declutter or where to begin. “I define ‘decluttering’ as ‘the ability to let go’, and the vast majority of us find letting go difficult,” Stack said. Many school leaders have technology devices full of saved files cluttering up their desktop and week after week of jam-packed, frenzied schedules. Then, of course, there’s the age-old issue of where to start: If your office or computer is such a mess, just looking at them can be overwhelming. It’s easier to just walk away and grab a cup of coffee.
Cheryl Meyer’s article in Financial Management shares six tips for handling clutter and keeping it from causing stress and hurting your career. https://www.fm-magazine.com/news/2019/jan/debluttering-your-professional-life-201920356.html
Don’t break the bank. Once you decide to get organised, avoid buying fancy containers and other pricey storage tools because, later, you may end up throwing many of these items out, You don’t need to spend a lot of money to declutter. Keep it simple and start small.
Make it easy. The biggest challenge when decluttering is getting started. Try reducing the stress of decluttering by taking it one step at a time. Consider starting with 10 to 20 minutes a day. Clutter tends to gather over months, years, even decades so it isn’t realistic to think you will be able to conquer the task of decluttering overnight. Try kick-starting the process by figuring out the items you definitely want to keep and those that you don’t need anymore.
Start with the desktop. Think of your desktop as “your prime real estate”, said Cabral. “Flat surfaces are for working and not for piling.” After you clean and organize your desktop, go through each of your drawers and cabinets and make sure you have an effective filing system so you can find things quickly.. In addition, remove items that don’t need to be on your workplace floor or desk, such as books or boxes. Consider putting in wall shelves to store things you don’t use very often. “The ‘flow’ of the room is vital” to creating a productive atmosphere and experience, Stack added.
Stay organized. Once you’ve decluttered your desk and office, you need to be consistent with your upkeep. “Build time into your calendar and schedule to maintain your office,” Cabral said. Don’t let things pile up so you have to declutter yet again.
Set boundaries. If your day planner is also too cluttered, and you’re receiving phone calls, texts, or emails both day and night, set boundaries with staff, students and families so you can maintain a healthy work/life balance. If you have created an open door policy where people know they can access you 24/7, they most likely will.
Tidy up at day’s end. During the last five to 10 minutes of your workday, organize your desk so that when you return the next day, you can start with a clean slate. It will help you hit the ground running each day with a clean, organized, and spotless workspace.
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