Do piles seem to produce at an alarmingly fast pace in your workspace? Do you sometimes look at your desk, kitchen, or closet and think, “Where did all this come from?”
Well, you, my friend, are in luck!
Your piles present you with the distinct privilege of being someone who can move mountains. Those mounds of miscellaneous papers, projects, and housework are your key to making things happen. You have fertile fields of clutter.
Albert Einstein is often referenced in discussions about cluttered desks due to his quandary about the relationship between empty desks and empty minds. I have always embraced this sentiment when surveying the insanity of my office; however, Anne Lamott helped me to appreciate my cluttered chaos in a new way when I read her book, Bird by Bird.
“Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground – you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, find things, get a grip.” – Anne Lamott
These words make Lamott an Einstein in my mind.
Who doesn’t love a chance to unbury treasure, tidy things up, and maybe even get a grip?
Getting a grip on the piles would be a treasure, but I value the idea that the clutter is a reflection of our potential. The clutter is evidence that we are capable of success and progress. It also requires us to do the work, put in the time to get to the bottom of things, and dedicate our attention and talents towards taking down those towers of to-dos. The benefits of editing out the unnecessary papers and knick-knacks is kind of like pulling weeds. Your space is going to look and feel so much better without all that unwanted stuff stealing your potential to grow.
Nothing feels better than a job well done, and those meadows of messiness are ripe for reaping successful rewards. Today’s Intentergy challenge is to dig into those towers of things you were going to “get to later.”
Produce progress as you dismantle the disarray and flourish in the fact that you can now see your tabletop. Don’t worry about being an empty mind because of your now empty space; I am certain there are other areas of clutter to captivate your attention and provide you with new treasures to unbury.
So get out there.
Dig in.
Do the work.
Celebrate the chaos as you cultivate those fertile fields of clutter!
By: Melanie A. Peters
P.S. We’re gonna need a bigger shovel for the piles in my office.
P.P.S. Be sure to share before-and-after photos of your progress!
Intentergy 