Don't do tidying, Be tidy.

Tidiness as a Tool for Efficiency: How a Clean Space Leads to Better Performance

When it comes to being efficient and productive, many people focus solely on their time management skills or work processes. However, one of the most overlooked tools for efficiency is tidiness.

A clean and organized space can have a huge impact on your productivity, motivation, and ability to focus. It allows you to easily find what you need, reduces distractions, and creates a sense of calm that can help you work more efficiently.

However, it's important to remember that tidiness itself shouldn't be the ultimate goal. Instead, it should be viewed as a tool to help you reach your ultimate goal of efficiency.

Imagine if everything in your life was where it was supposed to be, up to date, in order, tidy and finished. That is where a calm mind resides.

How much work are we getting done in this mess??

But I don't want you to achieve tidiness as a result of constantly tidying, instead I want you to create a tidy space, that remains tidy by design, and when you achieve this foundation of tidiness, then enjoy the freedom this brings.

Here are some tips for using tidiness as a tool for efficiency:

• Start with small steps: If your space is particularly cluttered, don't try to tackle everything at once. Instead, start with a small area and work your way up.

• Create a system: Develop a system for organizing your space that makes sense to you. This can include things like color-coding, labeling, or using specific storage containers.

• Prioritise: Focus on tidying the areas of your space that have the biggest impact on you, either mentally or physically.

• Be mindful: Everytime you put something down, ask yourself whether you are putting it away, or merely offloading it in a random space.

• Take a moment to appreciate the benefits of a clean and organized space. Not only can it help you work more efficiently, but it can also reduce stress and create a sense of calm.

Rather work here?

Systemise and plan for success:

1. Identify an area of your home that is an issue, an area where the amount of work it takes to keep it in order feels like it outweighs the result. (small table in the hallway always covered in junk, drives you mad: Stress!)

2. Empty that area, ruthlessly sort it out and get rid of unnecessary stuff. (don't need old notes, extra shoe laces, broken kids toys, and is this really where we keep old christmas cracker toys?)

3. Identify the problem, the real core issue as to why that area just can't stay tidy. (the small table is too convenient to dump crap, and "we'll sort that later")

4. Implement a new system that addresses the core issue, one that is designed to stay tidy. (does the table actually serve a purpose? we put it in to have a nice little bowl for out car keys, ok, put up a key hook, get rid of the table! Problem solved and won't recur)