"Sharpen the Saw" - Getting Rid of the Clutter

I'm so excited! I have just spent the most productive two days – cleaning.  (I know, you are wondering how anyone could be excited about cleaning…)  I'm serious! I finally took time to clear my office of all the baggage I'd been hanging on to from my previous venture. (It’s only been six years!)  I tossed procedure manuals from the mid-nineties and training sessions on cassette tape. (I don’t even own a cassette player anymore!)  I cleared files that I haven’t looked at in six years, warranties for equipment that I don’t own anymore, stickers intended to go on prize posters I no longer have and monthly newsletters dating back to 1996. 

I reclaimed the space for my current business, and somehow it seems that I can suddenly breathe and think clearly about where I'm going and how to proceed with my goals.  I have space to work and blossom.  That is why cleaning can be so exciting!

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Steven Covey has listed those habits that he has found in common among highly successful people and ways that every one of us can emulate those same behaviors. The seventh of those habits encourages us to “sharpen the saw.”  In as much as he encourages us to include specific time in our schedules for what he calls "balanced self-renewal."  Periodically we have to regain what he calls “production capability” by taking time out for ourselves. 

While Covey recommends recreational activities, I believe sometimes a good liquidation is cathartic and does the trick.  I have found that physical clutter creates emotional clutter.  Sometimes sharpening the saw involves taking the time to clear the clutter - physically, emotional and mental.  Having taken the time to do this myself,  now I can focus on those things that will keep me on the High Road and take High Road Solutions where I want it go.  I can concentrate on how to reach more people and therefore have a stronger impact.

I encourage you to do the same. Is there clutter that is preventing you from being as productive and focused as you could be?  Are there things you are tripping over time and again because you refuse to see it or deal with it?  Is it physical clutter that needs to be gone through and purged?  Is it emotional baggage that is preventing you from fully committing to the High Road with both feet?  Is it mental haziness that can be clarified through mind-mapping or further research?  Taking the time to recognize these and clear them out will be a big step toward increasing your "production capability."

High Road challenge for the day: Identify the sources of clutter in your life’s endeavors and “sharpen the saw.”  Do so by liquidating, tossing, filing and streamlining - so that you can think clearly again and regain the High Road clarity you need to be productive and have the strongest impact.