Isn’t it ironic that we live in such a technologically advanced age… yet we seem to be drowning in paper? On any given day, I’m dealing with several pages of notes I’ve taken during meetings, receipts from purchases, cards or other items I’ve gotten in the mail, and other paper items.

My general rule is that you should only keep a paper item unless it’s absolutely necessary. So, whenever I encounter paper, I do one of three things:

1. File it physically (in a file cabinet or drawer, or box). Obviously, you should keep paper items you’ll need later, like car titles, personal property tax statements, some items related to taxes, sentimental items, etc.
2. File it digitally. Anytime I take notes, I transfer these to my computer. Most of the time, I type these into Evernote, which is my digital brain. For example, I had several meetings yesterday, so today I’ll go through these 8 pages of notes and put the information in the relevant Evernote notebooks.

If I don’t need to keep the actual item, but I need the image (such as an insurance card), I’ll take a picture and file it in Evernote. Some people like apps such as Notion or OneNote. It doesn’t really matter what you use as long as you can easily organize and recall information and notes later on. For me, Evernote continues to be my app of choice.

3. Shred or discard it. Once you’re done with paper, or if you don’t need it to begin with, get rid of it. Just like knick-knacks or random junk demands your attention, paper does too.

The same is true for magazines, newspapers, and journals. If you subscribe to any of these in print form, clip any items you want and file them digitally, then discard them. Or better yet, cancel the subscription if you don’t actually read them.

Whenever you handle paper, try to make a decision about it as soon as possible, then take action on it. When you wind up with piles of paper to go through, it causes stress and anxiety. This kind of mental state makes it harder to be creative and productive.

I know that none of this sounds exciting or “sexy.” It’s all rather mundane. But the reality of the writing life—and any kind of life that involves creative work—is that we need to do the daily work of making space for creativity. Once you clear the clutter, you’re giving much more space and energy for the Muse to show up and work her magic.

Today’s Challenge: Gather the notes and random papers lying around your work area and house. Take a few minutes to file them away, transfer the information to a digital file, or discard them. Even if you have a big pile of papers, the simple act of gathering them together is a great start!

The post Clear the Clutter: Piles of Paper appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the main space where you do writing: your desk.

The financial guru Dave Ramsey says that you must make your money behave. Why? Because our human nature is to let money get out of control.

The same is true for your desk. If you’re not careful, your desk can easily get out of control. Before you know it, your desk becomes a catch-all for mail, to-do lists, trinkets, pens, notebooks, your computer, and books to read.

I have a general rule that everything on my desk has to justify its existence. In other words, nothing goes on my desk unless it has a very good reason to be there. Every item on your desk is literally asking for your attention by virtue of its being there. So, if you want to clear your mind and free up mental space for writing, clean off your desk and put stuff away.

Some writers believe that a messy desk is a sign of brilliance or creative genius. It doesn’t mean any of those things. A messy desk just means that you’re disorganized.

When I taught college, one of my fellow professors had the messiest office I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot of messy offices!). He had books piled all over the floor, and his desk looked like someone had literally taken a box of papers and dumped them all over the place.

I felt incredibly stressed just being in that environment. I had no idea how he concentrated or got any work done… much less found the papers he needed to grade!

When you’re cleaning your desk, don’t forget about the drawers. These can become black holes for all kinds of office supplies and junk. When cleaning out drawers, there are two important rules to follow:

1. The 6-month rule: If I haven’t used it in the last six months, and I probably won’t use it in the next 6 months, it needs to go.
2. The rule of two: You don’t need any more than two of an item. You don’t need 4 cheap plastic letter openers with insurance agents’ logos, you don’t need 85 dry-erase markers, and you don’t need those 4-gigabyte thumb drives from 2007… none of which probably work anyway.

Why do we keep stuff like this we don’t need? Because of fear. We’re afraid we will suddenly need 170 colored paper clips and they won’t be there. This comes from a scarcity mindset. Learn to let go of this clutter and junk that populates our desks and their drawers. It will free up a lot of mental space.

Your desk is a sacred space. If you’re a writer, your desk is your sanctuary. If you’re a person of faith, you wouldn’t walk into church and dump all the junk in your desk drawer onto the floor.

So, if you’re fulfilling your sacred calling as a writer, why would you treat your desk any differently? Come to your sanctuary each day with proper reverence and respect. Treat it like the holy place it is.

Today’s Challenge: Take ten minutes and clean off your desk. Organize your desk drawers and get rid of the junk. Use those extra letter openers to open all the checks that will be coming your way from your increased productivity and more mental space due to a clean desk!

The post Clear the Clutter: Desk & Drawers appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

We all hang onto certain things longer than we should. I tend to hang onto cords, cables, technology, and sentimental items I no longer need. I’m the guy who still has Huey Lewis cassettes from 1985 in his closet… along with the broken Walkman to play them! I’ve always been a packrat.

The problem with being a packrat is that these items clutter your life… and your work area.

As I approach 50 in the next couple of years, I’m much less inclined to hang onto this stuff than I used to be. I’m downright ruthless these days when cleaning. I challenge you to go through your work area and get rid of any items that are no longer serving you.

For example, as I look around my office right now, I see several things that need to go. There’s a random stick of Chapstick on my bookcase someone gave me for Christmas. I never use Chapstick but I felt guilty throwing it away. I see a pencil sharpener I have used a grand total of one time.

I see a Kindle Paperwhite tablet that’s about 8 years old, and I never use it. I see a small drawstring bag that held a small gift. I thought I might use the bag but it’s sat on my shelf untouched for almost a year. I see a high-quality lanyard that has my old college’s logo on it. The lanyard held my college name tag, and I wore it around my neck every day for the last few years I worked there. I kept it for sentimental reasons, but there’s no reason for me to keep it.

You see a pattern here: I felt a tinge of guilt at the idea of throwing these items away. But here’s the problem with hanging onto things we don’t need anymore: each unwanted item contains just a bit of emotional energy that we could free up for things that are relevant to our lives right now.

I will either throw away each of these items or find a new home for them. You can probably identify lots of items in your work area also. Physical items are not neutral. Your relationship with those items either adds positive energy to your life because it’s helping you in some way now… or it’s draining your energy because you feel guilt for not removing it from your life.

As you can see, this exercise isn’t just about being “neat” and “organized.” It’s really about getting your emotional life in order. Writing requires a lot of emotional energy. If you can free up more energy by getting rid of random junk, knick-knacks, and other odds and ends from your physical space, you will have that much more energy to give to the things that matter to you.

Today’s Challenge: Take five minutes and get rid of random stuff in your work area. If you hesitate or feel ambivalent about keeping it, that’s a sign it should probably go.

The post Clear the Clutter: Office or Work Area appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

It begins by facing the truth that your office or work area is probably a lot dirtier than you realize. All you need to do is take a close look at your computer keyboard or run your finger over a bookshelf to get a firsthand glimpse of the dust and dirt that covers nearly every surface of your office or work area.

I’m no cleaning expert, but I recommend taking a few minutes to tackle these three areas to help you get a solid start in cleaning:

1. Clean the floor and walls. Break out the vacuum, broom, or mop. Wipe down the baseboards and walls, making sure to get the dirt, grime, and cobwebs, especially near the ceiling.
2. Clean your desk area and shelves. Take off the items and wipe down every square inch of your desk if possible. Wash your desk mats if you use them. Clean your computer keyboard and mouse with alcohol and Q-tips. Dust off the shelves and bookcases.
3. Clean the windows, doors, dry-erase boards or other hard surfaces. It’s amazing to me how dirty these surfaces can get, especially doors.

I know some people believe that the process of cleaning windows and doors brings in a new spiritual energy. I don’t know how all that works, but I do know that when you have a clean work area, you FEEL better, like you have a fresh start.

Even if you do nothing else, this single act of taking a few minutes to clean the dirt from surfaces will give you a new energy and vitality!

Today’s Challenge: Before you go to bed, take ten minutes to clean these areas where you write and notice you good you feel!

The post Clear the Clutter: Dirt, Dust & Grime appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

But there is more to writing success than just doing the work. A big part of the equation is the environment in which you do your work. Since we’re still in January, this is a natural time to think about changes that can make it easier and more fun to write.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll focus on some ways to clear the clutter in your workspace. Although we writers like to talk about lofty ideas like book concepts, character arcs, or publishing strategies, the plain truth is that your environment has a big impact on your mindset and writing success.

Most of the time we don’t give a lot of attention to how our workspace is organized—or if it’s been organized at all! But if this is where your creative work comes to life, you should make sure it’s set up for maximum efficiency.

There is an intimate link between your physical environment and your mind. When you clear the clutter from your environment and have an orderly, clean place to work, you can be more productive and less anxious.

All that said, some writers still believe that a messy workspace somehow benefits their creative output. I can just hear the voices of protest: “But Kent,” you say, “I’m a stereotypical writer or creative person. I do my best work in a messy, chaotic environment.”

If that describes your point of view, let me share three observations:

1. I don’t buy the stereotype of a messy writer or artist. Sure, there are disorganized creative people. There are disorganized, messy people in every kind of field. But not all writers or artists are like that. The most successful writers I know are highly organized and strategic people.
2. Being disorganized and messy is a choice, not a personality trait. Yes, certain personalities tend to be more clean and organized by nature. However, you can make the choice to have a neat work environment.
3. Just because you CAN work in a messy environment doesn’t mean that you should. It’s like driving a car with low air pressure in the tires. Can you still drive that way? Yes. But can you do something about it? Yes. You can put more air in the tires and the car will function more efficiently. If you currently have a messy workspace and everything seems fine, you can be even more productive with a clean workspace.

If you’re ready to make a fresh start and begin creating a better environment for your writing, tune in over the next couple of weeks for the rest of the series!

Today’s Challenge: Ask yourself how you could benefit from having a neater, more organized workspace for writing.

The post Clear the Clutter: Series Introduction appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.