Week 107: Invest More By Getting Rid Of Everything – #AlphaFemaleFriday

Week 107: Invest More By Getting Rid Of Everything – #AlphaFemaleFriday

“ WEEK 107 / 133 – 133 WEEKS TO SUCCESS “

It was New Year’s Eve just about two years ago. I’m standing in the same bedroom I grew up in as a preteen and teenager, well into my college years. There were piles upon piles of garbage bags and other items to be recycled just from this one room. It was a painful process at first, thinking about how I was getting rid of items that I had considered mementos of nostalgia and tokens that once really meant something to me. Today, about two years later from this “purge”, I don’t miss these things at all.

Quotes on organizing and tidying by Marie Kondo, author of the book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” Watercolor painting by Beverly Brown.

I followed this same philosophy when I moved into the new apartment with my husband. When you get rid of everything that doesn’t “spark joy” in your life or truly mean something to you (as you should keep tax and legal documents, whether or not they spark joy), all that remains is everything that actually has a purpose. You are surrounded by items that represent you—everything has its place both on the shelf and in your heart and mind.

This philosophy can definitely be applied to the workplace. The bulk of your workday, on average, is comprised of eight hours. Those eight hours can either drag along awfully slowly or whiz by before you even know what in the world you actually accomplished. As a salesperson, I like to divide my days into thirds: a third of my day is spent prospecting (usually the morning), another third is spent on maintaining current client relationships (late morning into mid-afternoon), and the last third of the day is spent on administrative tasks (reports, filing away e-mails, working on my agenda).

Can you imagine how difficult it would be to get any task done if you’re surrounded by clutter? The first thing I love to do each morning when I get in is clean my desk. I have a stack of electronic wipes and I wipe down everything. It’s like a cleansing ritual. In the same way that you make your bed in the morning, take care of your workspace. If you’re road warrior, the same can apply to your rental car or carry-on luggage—treat these items with care and take only everything you need. Travel lightly and think clearly. Everything that remains is only what is important. You get to decide what that is.

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.