Beyond The Madding Crowd

Organised Space

There is an old saying that states - “a tidy house is a tidy mind” – or in office terms this can be described as “an organised work space is a productive work space”.

Does this mean that if you prefer to work in what I call “organised chaos” (you know where everything is but someone else wouldn’t be able to find anything) that you cannot be productive? No, what I am suggesting is that for most people, working in a reasonably organised environment means there is less clutter to take up space in your brain and therefore allowing you to use you brain, time and energy on your work or business.

Keeping your work space in an organised manner can be difficult if you are working from home and if it is a shared space. Ideally the work space would be kept separate but I fully appreciate that space may be a premium for you therefore having a totally separate space may just not be physically possible. Working in this way means that it is even more important to keep your space as organised as you possibly can – even if it means keeping your work in box files or similar.

For me, given my brand is “The Calm Coach”, I find it imperative to keep my work space as organised, tidy and in a manageable state as possible. The ultimate vision of a tidy office is one that has a “clear desk” policy i.e. at the end of the working day you pack all your work and file it in your desk drawers or on shelves so that your desk is kept clear. This is not always possible or practical for people to do and I haven’t managed it yet.

An organised office is an effective office. Keeping your work space in an organised or semi-organised manner means you not only spend less time looking for things but you also feel much more in control of your business.

To keep me “calm” I need a calm space to work in. I know that if my work space is disorganised my day will be disorganised and I may not even feel like being in my office because it creates a level of unease.

If you find that you come into your office or work space and feel like walking out again then take a really good look at the space and see how it could be improved or made more appealing to you.

So how do you go about “organising” your work-space:-

1 – De-clutter

Remove everything that you don’t actually need or use. You may wish to put this stuff in the recycling or give to someone else or just find a better place to store it

2 – Filing

Moving all “important” (but don’t need on your desk all the time) documents/ files into filing cabinets or desk drawers or in box-files or lever-arch files. Don’t forget to label the place where you store these documents so that you (and others) can find them with ease when needed.

3 – Optimum Desk Set-Up

Is your desk in the right place in the room; can you access your telephone and computer/laptop with ease; do you prefer facing a window, the door or a wall; is your seat comfortable, supportive and at the right height. If it is practical or possible then a clear-desk policy might be another option for you to consider.

4 – Boundaries

If this space is just yours then keeping this private is essential (particularly if you have client confidential material); if you are using a shared space it would be useful to setup some ground rules (boundaries) around when people can interrupt you and what is an acceptable interruption outside of those times.

5 – Review the Space

The acid test is to go out of the office for a few minutes and then come back in with fresh eyes and see how it feels to you. If there is anything that still needs tweaking you will be drawn to it immediately. You will get a feeling or sensation within you when it is either right or wrong.

Another consideration to ponder is if you have taken over the space from someone else. Do not be afraid to change things or move things around. This is now your space and in order to be most productive and effective you need it to be set up in a way that suits you and not someone else.

Here’s to calm, organised, and productive work spaces!

Finding Business Calm - Space

 Is your business suffocating you? Do you feel like it has taken over not only some physical but some mental space as well?

This feeling of "Business Claustrophobia" is not uncommon, particularly if you are a one-woman solo-preneur. It can feel like you are being smothered by your dream business. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be – was it?

If you are feeling like this, please don’t throw in the towel or give up just yet, I have a few ideas to create your Business Breathing Space and get you back on track.

SPACE

 

Space is very personal.  We all know what it feels like to have our personal space “invaded” by someone who stands too close. The same feeling can be had when you run your own business. You can feel like it is all encompassing and has taken over not only every waking moment but every thought, every action to such an extent that you cannot remember what your life was like before “the business”.

Your business was meant to be your salvation from being an employee and to give you freedom and choice- wasn’t it? So how can we get that feeling back?

Tools or strategies to create business space:

1.   Identify how much space your business will have in your life

2.   Establish how much time you will allocate your business

3.   Set clear business space boundaries

4.   Working from home – keep personal space separate

5.   Keep your work space organised

6.   Create thinking time in your day

 

Establishing clear business and personal space boundaries will not only clear physical but also mental space, allowing you to reignite your business passion once more!

 

 

Creating Personal Mind-Space

When you think of Personal Space - what springs to mind?

 

Is it the physical space your body occupies?

 

Is it the place where you live?

 

Is it the space in your mind?

 

Whatever you think of as your Personal Space it is yours and yours alone.

 

I would like you to contemplate expanding your awareness of your personal space – particularly the space you can create in your own mind.

 

Mind-Space is unique to you. No-one else shares it or can take it away from you. It is your Personal Power.

 

How to use your Mind-Space:-

 

1.                  Meditation

 

This is the art of clearing the mind of the myriad of thoughts that race through it on a daily basis. Sit or lye somewhere quiet where you know you will not be disturbed. Empty your mind. You can now either focus on one single thought, word or phrase or nothing at all. You can also just fill your mind with a colour – one that exudes calm for you. You can do this for any duration from 5 minutes to an hour or more.

 

2.                  Visualisation

 

This is the art of bringing your hopes and dreams to life within your mind. Sit or lye somewhere quiet where you know you will not be disturbed. Empty your mind of all thoughts and then bring to mind the one thing you want to visualise. This could be a dream holiday, a new job, a new home or almost anything that you are contemplating at the moment. Bring to mind an image of what it is you are seeking, make it big, bright and bold and in full techni-colour. Don’t limit your thoughts or your vision – the more real you make the image the more effective it will be. See yourself in the picture you have created, hear all the sounds around you in the picture, and make it real.

 

Once you have done this once, all subsequent times that you repeat this the easier and quicker it will be to bring yourself back into the moment.

 

You can also link the image with an action e.g. pressing your thumb and forefinger together. If you do this action when you think of the image/vision, then each time you repeat the action then you will automatically be taken to the image in your mind.

 

You can also use this as a de-stress and calming tool.

 

There are other mind-space techniques but these are the two most effective.

 

Try them and see how your mind-space expands!

De-Cluttering and Storage

Space – the final frontier - or is it?

 

Why is it that our personal space seems to take a back-seat when we are looking to upgrade or improve our lives in any way?

 

For me, the space I occupy has to not only be fit for purpose but also be supportive and welcoming.

 

If you don’t want to be in a particular part of your space then you might like to ask yourself “WHY”.

 

One of the biggest turn-offs from using a space within your home is that it is cluttered or just so full of “stuff” that there is no room for you – either physically or mentally. We all have our “dumping ground” space but if there is so much dumping going on that it has totally taken over the space then it is time to sort it out and do some de-cluttering.

 

It is almost like a spatial detox -- and like most detox work, you will feel lighter and brighter and more in control once the process is complete.

 

So how do you go about detoxing a space in your home?

 

First of all you need to be sure that the space belongs to you – if you are in a shared home (partner, house-mate etc) then you will need to ensure that the other people are happy for you to upgrade the space. To be honest, if you are seen to be volunteering to upgrade a shared space then most people will be really glad that they don’t have to do it themselves.

 

The two activities that will give you the quickest wins and make the greatest impact on your space will be: Storage and De-cluttering.

 

De- Cluttering

 

Storing things away is one thing, and highly effective at clearing space but if all you have done is dump all the junk in the storage boxes then you have just saved up the task of sorting it out for another day.

 

Why not de-clutter first and THEN do the storage. This way you not only have less to store (hopefully) but you will have easier access to the things you want to keep rather than having to wade through all the rubbish every time you are looking for something.

 

So how do you go about de-cluttering?

 

I would be asking myself the following questions:

 

• When was the last time I saw this item
• When was the last time I used this item
• Does it still function?
• Do I still like it
• Do I still need it (be honest)
• Will I ever use it again

If you answered “no” to any of the above then you should be seriously thinking about getting rid of the item in question.

 

Should the item still be in working order or reasonable condition then you can either sell it at a car-boot sale, or on e-bay, or give it to a charity or other worthy cause (friends count in this category).

 

Storage

 

Now that you have de-cluttered you can probably assess more easily just how much you have to store away.

 

Storage comes in various forms including: built-in/fitted cupboards and wardrobes; free-standing cupboards; boxes of all shapes, sizes and colours; shelving (enclosed and open) etc.

 

To make the most of storage it has to:

 

• Be fit for purpose (big enough, strong enough etc)
• Be suitable for the space (size, shape and colour)
• Be easy to access
• Look good

You only have to watch any of the home improvement programmes on the television to get great ideas for storage.

 

Now you may be thinking when am I going to have enough time to do all of this? Actually the question you should be asking yourself is - how much longer can I put up with not being able to use part of my home because it is so cluttered and disorganised and unsupportive.

 

So, clear a space in your diary and make a real event out of this. If you were going to have a facial or massage or other self-care treatment you would find the time so look at this exercise as a bit of self-care for your home. You will end up gaining so much more than just some space back, you will feel much better, lighter, calmer, and in control.

 

Isn’t all of that worthwhile? I think so!

Detoxing - Not just for Mind and Body!

 

Hi Folks,

 

I guess some of you might have been wondering where I have been and why I wasn’t blogging.

 

It’s a bit of a saga but safe to say I am back now and ready for ACTION!

 

With ACTION in mind, I decided that my office was long over due a tidy up so this afternoon I have Detoxed my office and I feel a whole lot better – and calmer too.

 

So, with this is in mind, I thought I would reprint an article I wrote last October on the subject of Detoxing space, which I hope you find helpful, particularly given Spring is the season for cleaning and tidying things up!

 

_______________________

 

Personal Space takes many forms including the physical space around you but more often it takes the format of your living or working space, and just like your body, your living and working space will benefit from a regular detox.

 

When your living and working space is set up correctly, it can be the key element to lot of things. For example, it can make you:

-                      feel safe

-                      feel comfortable

-                      be more productive

-                      be yourself

 

However, as much as you are rightly very proud and possessive of your personal space, if it not supporting you in the way you want it to then it can have a hugely detrimental affect on your life, health and well-being.

 

Key questions to ask yourself are:

 

-                      On a scale of 1 – 10 how important is this space to me?

-                      What do I want from this space?

-                      Does the space currently support my needs?

-                      If I change nothing how will I feel about the space?

-                      What do I need to change – a little, a lot or total revamp?

-                      How much time will I be spending in this space?

-                      How much money – if any – do I have or want to spend on this space

-                      Do I need the space to be cosy, comfortable, minimalist, tidy, or ??

-                      When do I want these changes to take place? (be specific)

-                      Do I have the resources to make the changes?

-                      If not, how can I get the resources?

-                      What will I do to celebrate when I have the space just how I want it?

 

The key task set by my own coach this week was around the topic of office space and if it was supporting my business.

 

I have been using my new office for about 3 months now, and I am very proud of my very own space. However, I am ashamed to say that currently, whilst I love my office, it is not supporting the calm ethos of my business.

 

So, I have committed to Detoxing my office tomorrow, Tuesday 21^st October 2008. Thankfully my office is not huge, but this makes it all the more important to make sure that it does support me and my business at all times.

 

Most of what I have to do is just a matter of de-cluttering, filing, and basically dumping the junk. However, I do have a habit of hoarding things that “might come in useful one day”, so I am going to have to be quite strict with myself about only keeping those things that I absolutely need or that make me feel good.

 

My command task to you this week is this:

 

Do you have a room or space (work or at home) that needs a Detox? If so, then start by asking yourself the questions above and see how much better you feel once you have been through the process.

 

I would love to know how you get on with the challenge – so do let me know.

 

Until next time

 

Think positive and keep breathing!

 

 

Maureen

Creating a Supportive Personal Space

How do you feel about your own personal space?

 

Does it provide that level of security that you desire? Does it make you feel comfortable and happy? Is everything in its place or is it a bit random and haphazard?

 

As long as your space feels good to you and supports you then that is wonderful.

 

However, more often than not, our personal space does not give us the support that we so desire – or if it felt good 6 months ago, then it may not feel as good now.

 

We as individuals are constantly changing and so in order to feel continually supported then we need to review our personal space periodically.

 

So when do you know is the right time for a review of your space?

Well, if when you come home you feel frustrated with your space, or if you feel that the level of clutter is becoming overbearing or if it no longer feels like it belongs to you – then these are all signs that it is time for a change.

 

Where do you start? First of all you need to decide if it is just one or two rooms that make you feel that sense of unease or if it is your whole space.

 

So you need to get clear on is just how big a review this needs to be.

 

The first thing to do is to sit down with a journal/ notebook or just some blank pieces of paper and at the top of each page write the name of the room that you feel needs your attention. Under the room name, write down two topics – the things about the room that make you feel good and the things that make you feel anxious. Repeat this step for each of the rooms that you believe need your consideration. You will then see not only how many rooms need to be reviewed but also which one(s) need to be done as a priority.

 

Within each room that needs attention, consider the following:

 

-                      Do you have enough open/uncluttered space in this room?

-                      Is the décor in the room conducive for the room’s purpose?

-                      Do you just need to realign the furniture?

-                      Would the room benefit from some Feng Shui treatment?

-                      Is it too light or too dark?

-                      How do you feel when you enter the room?

 

If you know you need to change the room(s) but are not sure what to change or how to start then look for examples. You could check out some home design magazines or websites for inspiration and implement as much of the ideas as you feel you need or would like (or can afford) to.

 

Once your space is back in alignment with you and your needs, you will feel so much better. You will find your mood is lighter (even in these dark autumn evenings), and hopefully more inspired to now do some inner work given that you have given so much positive attention to your outer space.

 

So, here’s to some fabulously supportive spaces!

 

Until next time

 

Think positive and keep breathing!

 

Maureen

Detoxing -- not just for your body!

Personal Space takes many forms including the physical space around you but more often it takes the format of your living or working space, and just like your body, your living and working space will benefit from a regular detox.

 

When your living and working space is set up correctly, it can be the key element to lot of things. For example, it can make you:

-                      feel safe

-                      feel comfortable

-                      be more productive

-                      be yourself

 

However, as much as you are rightly very proud and possessive of your personal space, if it not supporting you in the way you want it to then it can have a hugely detrimental affect on your life, health and well-being.

 

Key questions to ask yourself are:

 

-                      On a scale of 1 – 10 how important is this space to me?

-                      What do I want from this space?

-                      Does the space currently support my needs?

-                      If I change nothing how will I feel about the space?

-                      What do I need to change – a little, a lot or total revamp?

-                      How much time will I be spending in this space?

-                      How much money – if any – do I have or want to spend on this space

-                      Do I need the space to be cosy, comfortable, minimalist, tidy, or ??

-                      When do I want these changes to take place? (be specific)

-                      Do I have the resources to make the changes?

-                      If not, how can I get the resources?

-                      What will I do to celebrate when I have the space just how I want it?

 

The key task set by my own coach this week was around the topic of office space and if it was supporting my business.

 

I have been using my new office for about 3 months now, and I am very proud of my very own space. However, I am ashamed to say that currently, whilst I love my office, it is not supporting the calm ethos of my business.

 

So, I have committed to Detoxing my office tomorrow, Tuesday 21^st October 2008. Thankfully my office is not huge, but this makes it all the more important to make sure that it does support me and my business at all times.

 

Most of what I have to do is just a matter of de-cluttering, filing, and basically dumping the junk. However, I do have a habit of hoarding things that “might come in useful one day”, so I am going to have to be quite strict with myself about only keeping those things that I absolutely need or that make me feel good.

 

My command task to you this week is this:

 

Do you have a room or space (work or at home) that needs a Detox? If so, then start by asking yourself the questions above and see how much better you feel once you have been through the process.

 

I would love to know how you get on with the challenge – so do let me know.

 

Until next time

 

Think positive and keep breathing!