At some point, you’ve likely started to make some real changes in your life, and I’m willing to bet you’ve begun to enjoy an element of momentum—which makes you feel great. Congratulations!
Previously, we started talking about energy, and I introduced you to the concept of physical energy, as it relates to the way you take care of your body. This week we’re going to talk about your physical space.
One Thing to Think About
When you proactively commit to managing your environment, you not only reduce the energy cost of routine tasks, you also increase your personal comfort and satisfaction. Whether you realize it or not, your surroundings have a strong impact on you. A chaotic, disorganized setting is energetically expensive. While it may require some elbow grease up front, creating a well-ordered environment at work and at home will increase your vitality.
One Question to Answer
How well do you take care of your physical space?
- Are your home and work environments clean and free from clutter? It may seem counterproductive to invest energy in cleaning up your environment. After all, you want to increase your power, not engage in the drudgery of cleaning closets or sorting files. However, a clean, orderly environment is imperative if your goal is to maintain high levels of energy.
- Does every item you own have a home? It is much easier to maintain order in your environment when every item has a home or a place where it belongs. As you move through the room-to-room sweep of your home and drawer-to-drawer sweep of your office, make sure to decide where you will keep each of the things you’re hanging on to.
- Do you require your family to help you maintain order? Running a home is a monumental task, especially if there are other people (for example, little people) in your family. I established a rule in our home a long time ago that I would not do things for my children that they could do for themselves. As a result, they put their own laundry away. They clear their plates from the table and put them in the dishwasher. When they take something out, such as a toy or book, they are responsible to put the item back when they’re finished with it. They’ve been successfully following these standards since they were as young as four years old. Admittedly, I’m still working on my husband, but that’s another story.
- Are you open to outsourcing? In business, outsourcing involves hiring an outside party to manage an operational process on your behalf. This principle can support you in managing the many tasks associated with your life as well. If the prospect of organizing every room in your home or each space in your office is too distasteful to contemplate, hire a professional organizer to take over the task. If cooking dinner after a full workday feels cumbersome, embrace the concept of take-out or hire a cook to prepare a week’s worth of meals for your family. Ask your assistant to take over your filing or to return phone calls on your behalf.
