Knowing What Causes Clutter is the First Step to Overcoming It

We've all had challenges that we want to overcome and one of the first steps to overcoming something is to identify the cause.

So What Causes Clutter?

According to Barbara Hemphill of the Productive Environment Institute, “Clutter is postponed decisions.” 

Why do we postpone decisions and allow things to build up until we are BEYOND overwhelmed from all the clutter?

I believe it's because at that moment we are lacking two things.

A Plan and A Place

Have you ever forgotten to follow up with a business lead? Maybe you wrote their name down on a Post-It note and you found it 2 months later in a pile of paper? (I won't dare ask for a raise of hands on this one.)

If you had A DESIGNATED PLACE where you kept your lead list, and A DESIGNATED PLAN for follow up and communication, what difference do you think it would make in your business? Knowing that just ONE new lead can lead to MANY opportunities, it's worth determining how you will work with every lead.

Let's talk about those tax receipts. For years I told myself at the start of each year that things would be different. That each week I would organize my receipts and each month calculate my expenses. But, it never failed. EVERY year I either submitted my returns on April 15th or got an extension and submitted them on October 15th!

Ok, I know I'm not alone on this!

No matter how much I desired to implement new habits and how much I said I was committed, nothing changed until I created A PLAN or system for how I would handle tax expenses and determined A PLACE for my receipts to be organized and categorized... not monthly, not weekly, but INSTANTLY. (Yes, it is possible!)

The Plan is the system you commit to.

The Place is where the information or item lives. 

Where do you store customer information, business receipts, training information, action items, passwords... the list goes on and on. When you have a designated place and you consistently put items in that place, it's amazing how productivity and effectiveness increases and stress and overwhelm decreases.

How do you create a plan and determine the best place?

1. You ask and answer key questions to establish what system will be most effective.
2. You reach out to others who may have more experience or expertise if you aren't sure where to start.
3. You create what you know you will commit to. The perfect plan that's unexecuted is not as effective as the imperfect plan implemented consistently!

Creating business systems is key to increasing results and accelerating growth in your business. Without those systems, it creates clutter.

Want to know what happened when I finally determined a plan and place for my business expenses and receipts? I'm proud to share that I submitted my tax information to my CPA in FEBRUARY this year! (A personal record!)

How did I do it? Click here to learn more!

I would love to hear about the areas you are decluttering in your business. Where do you feel establishing a plan and a place would make the biggest difference?

Lydia xo