Is Your Space Set Up for You to be Your Best?

Would you like to operate at your highest potential? Could your physical environment have anything to do with your ability to "get things done?" David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, is THE leading thinker in personal productivity. His methodology, also called "Getting Things Done" (GTD), is all-encompassing – from how you capture information and how you process it to how you take action on what you need to do an when. To operate and move with velocity in your productivity requires that your physical environment be in alignment.

One of the coaches at David Allen Company tells this story. She went to a client's house for a coaching session. As she was being led through the house, she had to step over and around piles and piles of stuff. They filled up the rooms, the counters, the closets – they were everywhere. After about five minutes, she asked the client, "What are all these piles?" The client turned to her and replied seriously, "What piles?"

Now, think about your own house, garage or office. Where in your physical space do you have stuff that you don't see anymore? According to Allen, the more "stuff" you have in front of you, the more your mind is distracted by it. This prevents you from being in a state of highest possible productivity.

Allen considers stuff in front of you to be more than filled garages and things that have been lying about untouched for months (or even years). It is also relevant to items in your personal space: like the pictures of the kids from 2002 that you meant to change for more current ones; or the broken lamp that you meant to donate to charity a long time ago; or the antique chairs from a relative that are squeezed in among random pieces of furniture.

Now compare your house to a model home. Is that fair to say? Of course, no one really lives in a model home, and professional designers have set up the home to create an emotional draw that encourages you to buy it.  However, think about how you feel in that kind of space. Your mind in unencumbered.  There is no "stuff' do distract you. You can imagine living here and feeling comfortable and fulfilled. The correlation between organized space and productivity is unmistakable.

Believe it or not, this is actually possible in your own home, even if you have more than one family member living there! I have three children, and I can attest that it is possible if it is important to you. But, it doesn't happen by accident.

As someone who puts GTD into my daily practices, I have experienced the power and freedom of clearing my space. Over the years, my wife and I have obtained numerous furniture pieces and decorative items from flea markets, trips and relatives. Some pieces don't fit into our home right away, but we don't want to get rid of them. My wife used to say, "shove it in the garage" to which I replied, "no, shove it in the kitchen!" To me, the garage has the same importance as every other room in the house.

Our solution has been multi-faceted. I will admit that the GTD methodology is much more important to me than to her, but she does recognize the benefit of having a home not filled with clutter and stuff. The ability to find and get to what you need in an instant is rewarding. So, we did the following: we built extra shelves in our garage and bought clear plastic storage bins (so you can see what is inside) with lids. Everything that we don't need on a regular basis, but need to keep, goes into one of these bins with a label on the outside.  

Everything that is not needed on a regular basis goes into an offsite storage unit. This is important for two reasons. First, if I don't need it on a regular basis, I don't need it in front of me every time I come into my house. Second, if I am not willing to pay a bit extra per month to have that item in storage, then it really isn't that important to me. Hence, it gets sold, donated or thrown away.

Could this idea of improving your physical environment make a difference for you? Would you like to get started? Make a commitment to do it! Buy some storage bins. Schedule some time on your calendar. Enroll your family. Get an offsite storage unit (that is close to your house or office, convenient, clean and offers easy access to your stuff). Make it an event!

Good luck, and don't forget to let me know how you do!

Steven Ross is a local real estate professional with Coldwell Banker. A former technology and business executive, Steven brings professional execution to helping people with their real estate needs. You've probably seen him walking your neighborhood, as he knocks on over 13,000 doors a year. No one knows the market or the people who live here better than Steven. Find out where he's been and what he's up to at www.WheresSteven.com.

Intrigued by the David Allen methodology – check out www.davidco.com.

No one knows the market or the people who live here better than Steven Ross. You've probably seen him walking your neighborhood, as he knocks on over 13,000 doors a year. Find out where he's been and what he's up to at www.WheresSteven.com

Intrigued by the David Allen methodology? Check out www.davidco.com.