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Episode 2180:
Jenny Lee explains how a cluttered workspace quietly drains the focus that freelancers and entrepreneurs need for their own business. She offers plain rules for deciding what goes, and argues that having fewer things to work with tends to make people more creative rather than less. The result is a workspace with room left for the work that matters.
Read along with the original article here: https://www.hellobrio.com/blog/decluttering-for-entrepreneurs
Quotes to ponder:
"A clean, minimal workspace will give you a distraction-free zone to get stuff done and maximize your creativity."
"Also, the less you have to work with, the more creative you'll end up being."
"Less is more. Too many choices can actually be paralyzing."
Optimal Work Daily is a daily career advice podcast where we narrate the best articles on productivity, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance, read to you by a professional narrator so you can grow your career a little more every day.
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[00:00:00] This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+.
[00:00:24] Good sleep is everything. That's why Ollie Sleep Solutions is made with a blend of melatonin and L-theanine for both kiddos and grownups. So when your mind won't switch off, you've got something that can help. Erasing thoughts and restless nights won't stand a chance. Find Oli's Sleep Solutions for the whole family at Oli.com. That's O-L-L-Y dot com.
[00:00:48] This is Optimal Work Daily. Entrepreneurs. Declutter for positive energy. By Jenny Lee of HelloBrio.com. Spring cleaning is a dirty term. Any time of the year is the perfect time to declutter and reorganize, especially for freelancers and entrepreneurs who are working from home. Clutter can easily build up anywhere, whether it's your office, co-working space, or your homework space.
[00:01:16] All of these possessions weigh down your spirit and have the power to distract you from what's important. Accomplishing those tasks you need to get done for your business. Let's learn how to declutter for positive energy in your entrepreneurial endeavors. The Mindset for Decluttering Your Workspace In order to get started, you need to get in the right mindset to be able to get rid of things.
[00:01:37] While sentimentality is important, there really is no reason to get all mushy over certain items that are just taking up room and are visually busy, especially if you didn't even remember you owned said thing. A clean, minimal workspace will give you a distraction-free zone to get stuff done and maximize your creativity. Everything should have its own place and be put-away-able at the end of every day.
[00:02:00] If you're like me and your home office is in a corner of your bedroom, it's great to be able to shove everything neatly in a drawer at the end of the day so you can rest easy at night. Also, the less you have to work with, the more creative you'll end up being. How to Purge Your Belongings Here are some tips to help you make quick decisions when decluttering. Number one. If you haven't used it in a year, you won't use it next year. Be honest with yourself here.
[00:02:27] When cleaning out closets and drawers, I tend to go with the six-month rule. If I haven't used it in the past six months, and I don't plan on using it in the next six months, it's just taking up space. Time to let it go. Two. If you didn't remember you owned it, get rid of it. So, you own Monopoly and play it once every year on vacation. Great. But in digging through things, you find that you also own Metallica Monopoly and Hello Kitty Monopoly,
[00:02:53] both of which you haven't touched since you got them from your Uncle Ted during the holidays years ago. Get rid of it. Three. Pair down to avoid being stuck in a rut. Your stuff may be putting you in a rut. Less is more. Too many choices can actually be paralyzing. This goes for your fountain pen collection the same as it does for your child's toy selection. When there are too many things to choose from, you may end up only using one or two of those things regularly.
[00:03:18] On the other hand, owning less belongings can feel liberating and may encourage you to rotate through your choices. Four. If it makes you feel bad, time to donate it. I suppose this is like the dark side of Marie Kondo's approach when asking if your item sparks joy. Okay, so hold your item. Look at it. Experience it deeply. If it makes you feel like... Let's toss it. Get it the F out of your house and into the local donation center.
[00:03:46] I'm looking at you, weird but strangely expensive gift from the ex-boyfriend I'd rather forget. Five. After decluttering, make room for the best. After you do a major declutter, you can still buy or acquire things. I'm not saying you have to sit in a concrete floor room and stare at the blank white walls for all of eternity. Here's the trick though. After you refine your space by purging unwanted or unused belongings, you're making room for the best. There are so many products and things to buy these days.
[00:04:15] Many of us are on the constant search for the perfect whatever-the-f, fill-in-the-blank. So whether you've found the perfect item or whether you're still looking, your ultimate goal may be to have a small collection of the absolute best. Choose quality over quantity. While you're at it, look for items that are multi-purpose too. And six. Dump it. Digitize, sell, recycle, or donate. Time to dump your junk. You can digitize, sell, recycle, or donate.
[00:04:44] I know people have a hard time with throwing things away, and I don't blame them. Contributing to a landfill doesn't give you a very warm and fuzzy feeling. You can digitize a lot of sentimental things. Scan old photo albums, posters, whatever. Take pictures of the stacks of kitschy crafts your son brought home and make a digital album. Sell items that are valuable to others. This will put some cash in your pocket. Just remember that the logistics of selling items on Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor or Craigslist is a lot.
[00:05:14] eBay is nice, but it's a pain in the ass. Do what works for you. Donate items to those in need or give them away to friends who will enjoy your stuff more. There may be a local Facebook swap group you can join to make sure your items go to a good home instead of dropping your bags off to the never-never land of goodwill. Responsibly recycle or trash the rest. Boom! Your home is decluttered. As a result, your home office is also streamlined and is ready for you to kick butt in the entrepreneurial world. Time to bring on that positive energy.
[00:05:48] You just listened to the post titled Entrepreneurs, Declutter for Positive Energy by Jenny Lee of HelloBrio.com This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome.
[00:06:17] Check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18+. Good sleep is everything. That's why Ollie Sleep Solutions is made with a blend of melatonin and L-theanine for both kiddos and grown-ups. So when your mind won't switch off, you've got something that can help. Erasing thoughts and restless nights won't stand a chance. Find Ollie Sleep Solutions for the whole family at Ollie.com. That's O-L-L-Y dot com.
[00:06:47] And thanks so much to Jenny, who you can hear narrated more often on Optimal Living Daily because of all of her content about minimalism. But Hello Brio isn't just another minimalism blog or an iPad blog. It was created back in 2013 by Jenny to be a place for her to rediscover her soul and find her true self after a personal, life-altering event. The site took a whole lot of turns along the way and now it's a place for you to find abundant creativity through digital simplicity and mind minimalism.
[00:07:14] They love simplicity, digital and physical. Digital planning, journaling, self-care, building our second brains, personal knowledge management, mindfulness and meditation, and lettering, and lifelong learning. Everything you find there is filtered through an intentional living lens. By decluttering your home, mind, calendar, and soul, you will have a solid foundation to rebuild your mindset so that you can uncover your life's full potential.
[00:07:41] So again, thanks so much to Jenny for letting us share her work across our network and come by HelloBrio.com for a lot more. That's HelloBrio.com. But that should do it for today. I thank you as always for being here with me and I'll be back again tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.