Cold Blooded On Clutter

Are you drowning in useless doo-dads? Can you see the top of your desk?It's great to have the human touch… to be understanding, loving and kind. But save that for people because that’s not the approach that wins with clutter.

With clutter you have to be cold blooded, unemotional and strict. It's so easy to accumulate things…and so hard to let them go. I might wear it. I might need it. It might come in handy. It has sentimental value. Emotions drive you to hang on, keep this, keep that. As a result clutter builds, silently compounding, never going away.

So what’s the problem? 

Clutter eventually kills. It's an enemy. It kills your space, it kills your room to move. It crowds out the more important things. Clutter has to go.

Eventually you realize you must eliminate it

 …eliminate the unnecessary to have plenty of room for the important.  But its so hard because you are emotionally attached. So get your emotions under control. Be cold blooded, unemotional and ask yourself…

• Have I worn these in the last year? 
• Have I used this in the last year?
• Haven’t I kept this useless Christmas or birthday present around long enough?
• If I really need one of these couldn’t I just go down to the store and get one?

It gets easier

Soon you’ll find it easier and easier to toss things as your rational mind starts to  evaluate how really important these things really are.

Here’s a trick I use. Throw things out in stages.

Something you couldn’t bear to part with last week will be easier to toss this week. Make this a steady and regular part of your routine so it doesn’t build up again.

You are constantly bringing things into your house aren’t you? Well, it will fill right back up again if you don’t regularly throw things out.  There’s a lot of pride in having the trash all taken out, so do the same with clutter.

And remember, the less clutter, the more room for some more new good stuff!

How do you keep clutter under control? 

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 To next post, "One Hopes, One Fights"

Numbers or People?

Often business people debate which is more important, their people or their production or sales numbers. What’s the answer?

In business, people and numbers are equally important, but the people come first because they produce the numbers.

Why are both SO important? Without numbers you lose your people. You won't have any money to pay them! Without people there will be no numbers. You won't have anyone to do the work! Your people are your most important asset because what makes them important is the work they do.

Andrew Carnegie once said, “If I lost everything, my fortune, my factories but I still had my key people I would have it all back in 6 months.” He might have been exaggerating a little but the point remains the same—he valued his key people above all else.

But here’s the truth: if he had the people and for some reason they could not get production going, it would be a short period of time before they were gone too.

The reality lies in the fact that what makes people important is not their looks, sense of humour, friendship and even their character but WHAT THEY DO. That’s what makes them special. 

So what’s more important? Both. You’ve got to have one to have the other.   

If you are not the one who own the business but who works there remember this… YOU ARE IMPORTANT!

You are the most important resource of the company and that is because of what you DO. 

You make the Company run. You make the Company special. You produce the results.

THE BEST COMPANIES HAVE THE BEST PEOPLE. As a result… THEY HAVE THE BEST RESULTS!