Problem: Can’t focus
My daughter is ADD. Actually, 2 of my daughters have this “personality trait”. Oh yeah, and almost all my clients are ADD on some level.
I find it fascinating that while they feel most content when their spaces are clean and organized, they are moving so fast all the time that things are usually messy. This causes them to be in a constant state of anxiousness and overwhelm.
Sometimes the clutter shows up in their work space. Sometimes, it shows up in their time-managements skills (is your planner complete? With all the details you need? And do you review it daily?).
Can you relate?
Solution:
Here are 5 simple solutions that work for my kids and my clients to ease the overwhelm and anxiety:
1. Have a conversation with someone who will call you out. Share how you are feeling with someone who cares and who can help you fix it. If you don’t have this person in your life, find him/her!
2. Make a list of your To-Do’s. Sort this list into piles and then organize by importance. This is a technique I use with my clients and it is the most valuable activity we have to get the right activities done and feel accomplished. Sometimes, simple writing everything down creates relief.
3. Share your list. Preferably, that person who can call you out can also remind you of what you ARE accomplishing. I have noticed that often, we don’t recognize what we are getting done because new “to-do’s” start to pop up. You need someone who can help you recognize your accomplishments
4. Clean your clutter in your space. I personally hate spending my time cleaning the clutter, but when I have a clean space, I feel lighter. With my kids and my clients, I have found that spending one hour creating space in your physical environment increases their happiness and their ability to focus.
5. Organize your space so you can keep it cleaned. This can be hard to do by yourself. Mostly, I see people remove everything from the space and then start over. My personal favorite solution is to hire an organizer who organizes based on MY preferences and habits instead of their own system.
You are probably wondering what being happy, ADD, being accountable and cleaning the clutter have to do with marketing and business. Here’s the connection:
Because I have such a limited time each week to get my “work” done, it is super-important that ever hour is profitable. When my space gets cluttered, I get frustrated and happiness is pushed off to “someday” instead of today. It’s even worse with my kids and clients.
So when the environment is clean, it is easier to focus, get results and be more profitable.