Are You Stuffy?

Yes, you read it right – are you stuffy? I don’t mean stuffy as in congestion … is your home stuffy? How about your work area? Can you tell where your ‘stuff’ ends and your work space begins? Our ‘stuff’ – those stacks of paper, piles of books, bundles of pens – can all add up to CLUTTER if left unattended. All too often clutter is the result of “for-now-itis” – as in, “I’ll just put this here FOR NOW.” Unfortunately, wherever that place is, typically ends up being a long term resolution rather than a short term solution!

The negative and residual consequence of allowing a stuffy condition to exist in your work space is that your ability to function efficiently is restricted. It’s as if the clutter around you encroaches on your thought processes, in the same manner that stacks of paper or piles of books often tip over and interrupt whatever activity may be in progress. Rather than resolve or decide that you will just leave the mess where it landed – you must take the proactive step of picking up and organizing your stuff to give you a clear work space again. This time, however, you should make a firm decision to find a solution to the problem of stuffiness and clutter.

Many adages come to mind – such as having “a place for everything, and everything in its place” – and they do highlight important principles that, if followed, not only improve life in general, but also create a more efficient and well-organized overall work environment. If you are familiar with the condition known as claustrophobia (abnormal fear of being in closed or narrow spaces), perhaps it wouldn’t be too much of a leap to coin the term ‘clutter phobia’ – except in this case, we should all WANT to have this particular ‘phobia’ – it might serve as a powerful motivator to conquer stuffiness and clutter once and for all. At the very least, clutter phobia may provide the plan of action we need to finally admit that we usually have TOO MUCH STUFF!

Posted:Saturday, May 02, 2009