Friday 2 July 2010

Books or mind or both?


To me this messy bookshelf looks divine. Inviting, intelligent, a little chaotic and definitely worth looking in as you might find a treasure. And yet, this week, we were hosting a workshop on decluttering, so it's not really appropriate for me to eulogise about mess.

Our office, before this week, looked a little like those shelves and part of me loved it. It feels like there's always something to discover. It made us look a little human and homely rather than stiff and anal. After all (and this is how I try and persuade myself) we're a soft, fuzzy business, we should have a soft, fuzzy workplace.

But this week we set to work. Each folder was removed from the shelves and brought up to date. Each piece of paper was found a home or binned and we even filed away all our computer documents on dropbox (our new favourite toy).

Gosh. Does it feel good. We've had a fantastic week with interesting meeting after interesting meeting. I'm now convinced I've opened a space in which more creativity can happen rather than less. We're all skipping here.

How's your decluttering going??? Is it your books you're getting rid of or the mess in your mind?

Good luck - just don't throw any my way.
Nina
PS If you're a top tips kind of person, have a look at mine on work/life balance here
PPS If you're a facebook kind of person, do 'like' our page
PPPS Next week's workshop is on creativity. For a look at this month's workshops, click here.

5 comments :

Abi said...

Wow, I can't imagine what the office looks like now - looking forward to seeing it!

Life Clubs said...

Hope you will soon...!

Anonymous said...

We got this helpful advice from Gordon, one of our clubbers:

I have had a big problem with clutter in my flat but other internal blocks which I have been steadily eroding. My flat clutter was tied in to stuff my deceased parents left me with. One of them unfortunately had a hoarding tendency, so there was enough tackle for several families. But it was the times - she was bought up in wartime shortages, the 1930's problems etc etc. Also I found it difficult to let certain things go, as this is connected to loss. Also family arguments about stuff

However, especially in the last 6-9 months I have been having a real good ruthless go, based on my new self awareness and it's amazing how much space it's creating, and how it allows me to bring in my new me interests. In fact I have a statement in big bold black letters on a big white poster "REMOVE THE CLUTTER I DESERVE MORE SPACE" I have now become more ruthless.

To fit in with my values I give stuff away to charity shops, give away stuff to my sisters and neighbours plus I've decided to move to a new address soon.

Now, some thing again that might interests member of your active Life Clubs I have joined the FREEGLE network for Trafford and the Manchester equivalent. This means you gave give away your stuff and avoid it going to the tip, meet new people and help the environment at the same time. I think there is a freecycle network nationally and internationally so all or most of the UK is covered by local groups. So an old computer, an extractor and a fridge have gone in the last 3 weeks and a spare bed and a cooker are next on the list. It continues...

Life Clubs said...

Congratulations Gordon and thanks so much for the helpful information. I love the poster you've created.

echeck casino said...

What words... super, excellent idea

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