In his book, “The Naked Entrepreneur”, Robinson makes mention of nine attributes of successful entrepreneurs. Number eight on the list is “Organised”. If you have ever been into my office and looked at my desk you would notice that my desk is not the most organised space. Oops, does that mean I’m not an entrepreneur? Researching the topic further, I was relieved to discover that being organised has less to do with how one’s desk looks, and more to do with how one’s thoughts ‘look” - particularly in relation to your understanding of your business and your ability to articulate its value. If you’re like me, some days are better than others; some days I have a very clear understanding of what I want to achieve, and others are more murky. My mind seems too full of all sorts of ideas. Dee Hock, the founder of VISA, said “The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get the old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.”

But let’s go back to the desk cleaning, the draw cleaning or the file cleaning. Why is it important to do this as well? Dave Allen, the author of “Getting Things Done”, is a strong proponent of the clean desk equating to a clean mind. A clean mind is calmer and more efficient, making better quality decisions. The beginning of the year is a wonderful time to clean out those drawers, clean that desk and throw away the notes, brochures, nameless telephone numbers, the article you were going to read in 2003, the leadless pencil and the 2004 conference venue booklet. If you’re not the big cleanup kind of person, then simply throw away one item a day as part of your daily routine.

The one often-forgotten benefit, of cleaning up, is indeed finding those “things” you have not yet done that still need to be done. Add them to your action list and get going on them. In my opinion, there is very little more satisfying than ticking off something from a “to-do” list, especially if it is something you have been procrastinating around for months or even years.


This Week’s Challenge

Clean up your Act!