Does a tidy desk equal a tidy mind, or is that a misconception and generalisation?
In my case, an organised desk or workspace leads to released creativity, but that’s not the case for everyone.
How about you? Are you the kind of person who likes to be surrounded by lots of your favourite things? If you are – and it never feels overwhelming – then that is great. Some people are happy with that. But many of us can’t function very well with too many things on our desks or in our immediate surroundings. We all have different backgrounds: circumstances which have shaped us into the people we are today.
Reasons For Holding On To Things
If you’ve watched any of the TV programmes about hoarders, you’ll have seen that for some people, holding on to belongings often happens because of some traumatic incidence (or incidences) in their past. Some examples of this are feelings of not fitting in or belonging as a youngster, losing a loved one, or never feeling that you’re good enough. Especially common is a deep-seated fear of never having enough, often combined with the fear of losing everything. Being brought up in a household that doesn’t have much can make you hold on to things that little bit more tightly, because you’re never sure where the next thing is coming from.
Of course, once we become adults, common sense tells us these feelings should disappear, but they often don’t. They can lead to a lifetime spent holding onto a feeling of lack. Emotional guidance of some sort should be sought in extreme cases, to help the individual come to terms with their past and move on.
Gratitude
One of the best (if not the best) methods of dealing with feelings of lack is to practice gratitude. There is a plethora of information available online for you to investigate, from books and videos to coaches and teachers. We talk about Law of Attraction and Manifesting over on EasyPeasySuccess if you’d like to check out some of our articles.
You can’t feel lack when you’re feeling gratitude, so it’s definitely worth looking into.
Tidy That Desk, Ditch It, And Breathe
I must admit, from a personal viewpoint, as soon as I’ve removed clutter it instantly makes me take a deep breath and release some pent-up stress or tension. Often, I didn’t even realise it was was there. That clutter can be just a small pile of papers that have been waiting to be scanned, filed, shredded or recycled, but the effect is the same.
Having space around us can make us feel calm and open our minds to new ideas and possibilities. And it can definitely increase productivity, as research has often proven. (For example, see this article from Current Psychology in 2017, examining the relationship between procrastination and clutter across generations.)
What are your thoughts? Are you a happy clutter-bug or more of a minimalist? There is no right or wrong – you have to do what’s right for you!
Gill
Suggested reading: How Does Clutter Negatively Affect Your Mind?