Want to hit your goals? Declutter mind, space

I once went to pick some important documents from a certain office. I was ushered into the director’s office and served with a cup of coffee as I waited for them to be retrieved.

I took my coffee fast to avoid the awkward situation of finishing my business before the beverage especially since my host was not taking one and seemed very busy.

However, I was shocked that 20 minutes later my host was still frantically searching for the documents. Even the intervention of his assistant did not help. The office was, of course, cluttered with so many unlabeled files, books, boxes and other materials, some of which I doubted whether they had value.

I left about half an hour later with a promise that a rider would be sent to deliver the documents when they are found. Fortunately, I was called as I headed to the gate and told the documents had been found.

This is a typical situation that most of us find ourselves in – spending too much time looking for documents and items when they are needed. The net effect is loss of efficiency and productivity.

Regardless of what you do for a living or where you work, just like everyone else you are looking for more value – to get more for less.

Managing time well is one of the hallmarks of a good and effective manager. It is the only asset that we all have in equal measure, regardless of our status.

In other words, corporates and individuals are looking for ways of increasing efficiency to get jobs done faster, easier, and with fewer problems. Thus we are constantly buying better and faster machines and tools to help us increase speed and profitability.

However, true productivity and efficiency cannot be achieved when we are living in a cluttered world, both mentally and physically.

When you live in a state of mental and physical clutter, your productivity is very low. You forget most of the important things, you lose creativity and concentration. Incomplete projects, unfinished business, appointments to be made, guilt of not meeting deadline or keeping promises can weigh you down and sap from the energy you need to grow your business.

Decluttering your mind and your physical life must go hand in hand. If your life both at home and in office is not organised, it is impossible to declutter your mind.

The starting point in decluttering your office is to develop a good filing and storage system. Arrange your office neatly, save files in your computer in a systematic way such that you can access and retrieve them quickly and your will be amazed by your level of efficiency and peace of mind.

Develop a habit of listing down the important things you need to do and focus on them daily. This will declutter and direct your mind and your daily thoughts and actions toward your goals.

Mr Kiunga is author of ‘The Art of Entrepreneurship: Strategies to Succeed in a Competitive Market’.