Productivity Planner

Have you ever been to a funeral parlour and felt very happy? This question might sound morbid but you need to also ask the question whether your home and the organization that you work for has an environment that gives you the impression that it could be a funeral parlour. You know melancholic, depressing and giving you a sense that everything is meaningless.

It is a fact that your environment can influence you in many ways. This includes the way you think and act. Naturally a positive environment will make you a happier person which in turn will make you more productive and effective in what you are doing. Therefore, no matter how good you are in other aspects of your life you need to pay some attention to your physical environment to ensure that it gives you a feeling of euphoria and is charged with positive energy.

1. Tidy Your Table and Remove Clutters

You don’t have to spend large sums of money to create such an environment. All it takes it a bit of tidying up and you will notice that you will see things from a different perspective. In my workshops and seminars, I have always asked my participants as to whether their work table in their office is messy. Many of them say yes! Yet! They also add that despite the mess they know where things are and they are comfortable with this.

Although they may think that they feel comfortable, the truth is that they are far from being productive or effective in what they are doing. The reason is simply because they have to work extra hard each time to get at what they want. To find a particular file from the pile of mess is certainly going to take longer than if the table was nicely arranged and everything is in order. By taking the initiative of clearing up the mess and removing all the unnecessary paraphernalia you will free yourself from the hassle of working harder at what you are doing.

2. Keep your Computer System in Check

It is a fact that too many icons on the desktop feature of your computer will slow down your system. Further keeping unnecessary files will also inevitably reduce your computer’s performance. You need to do some house keeping by ensuring that only those files that are really important and relevant are kept. If you are not sure as to whether you should delete or not, store the least used files or folders into an external hard drive for archive purposes. This has become an affordable option as the prices of external hard drive have fallen tremendously. By storing the seldom used files elsewhere you will be able to maximize your computer system performance. I have notice that many people have a background and screen saver effect for their computer. If you do have these download some inspirational messages or pictures that stimulates your mind and motivates you. What you visualize will affect the way you perform. If you put up something negative, this might have a tendency to affect your thinking especially when you are feeling troubled and stressed.

3. Keep Magazine and Newspaper Racks Updated

Many organizations might have a foyer so that visitors can make themselves comfortable whilst waiting for the person they are meeting. The way the foyer is organized says much about the organization. If you have a magazine or newspaper rack, ensure that the magazines and newspaper are constantly updated. I have seen in some organizations where there is a magazine rack that the magazines on display are more than ten years old! You may liven up your environment with some plants and posters. If you do this, ensure that you do take the time to take care of it. The worst thing to look at is a dying plant. Plastic plants are great, but these too need to be looked after so that they are clean and not coated with dust. Inspirational posters are wonderful visual motivators. To give the impression that your organization is alive change them every few months by rotating the posters around. If you have an aquarium or a water fountain to add to the ambience you need to keep the water clean and clear. The human mind has the innate tendency to be attracted to changes in the environment. Such subtle changes make us wary of where we are and create a sense of liveliness.

4. Create a Home Sweet Home Effect

Apart from your office, your home should also give a positive vibe in your life. There is an English saying that: Every Englishmans home is his castle. How is your castle? Is it filled with useless and unnecessary things that you know deep down inside you that you will not be using at all? In your wardrobe, are there clothes that youve not worn for a long time and you know that you will never wear them? If so, why are you keeping them? What you should do is to take stock of what you have in your home and adapt to the habit of either to give or sell away those items that you feel that youve got no use for. After all these unwanted items is not serving you so why not let them serve others who might have a need for these.

Inculcate the discipline of going through your home and office every three months or less to see whether youve accumulated things that may not serve your needs anymore. This way you will effectively dispose of the periodic clutters that tend to permeate itself slowly and steadily in your home and office and this will help you to keep the place clean and easy to maintain. A clean and clear environment will also motivate and energize you.

Many people wait for a reason to take this step, for instance, like doing a spring cleaning just before a festive season. However, if you make a conscientious effort on a regular basis you will find that it does not take too much of an effort to create a positive environment. Creating a positive environment is an integral part of your existence. So there is no need to give a reason to create one. Napoleon Hill said: Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.

Be creative in how you could make your environment more positive. Add some inspirational and stimulating posters. Give your room a new color of paint. And please do get rid of those pizza boxes and soda cans. See how positive you feel. Norman Vincent Pearle said: The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.

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Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture //