DECLUTTER LIFE WITH A GOOD OLD SPRING CLEAN

As the mornings get lighter and the days longer I know it is time for a good spring clean. A great place to start is in your head, deciding what negative thoughts can be eradicated, and how you can replace them with positive thoughts. Inspiration comes to a quiet mind, so preferably take some time out of the office and gather your thoughts.

Next step is to update your brand plan for Spring, acknowledge what is going well and what you can improve. What do you need to do more of and what is wasting your time? Create a timetable for the rest of this year to ensure that you get the most out of it. Put work and play into it in healthy proportions. A quarterly personal performance appraisal pays dividends. We are often quite hard on ourselves and feed off criticism instead of praise, so make a concerted effort to record compliments and positive feedback.

Create some physical changes too:

• De-clutter your office, starting with your desk. Often we walk past cluttered areas and do not notice them. Work with a colleague – make recommendations for their work station and allow them to do the same for you.
• If you really want a welcome change then alter the position of your desk. It is always better to face natural light if possible, and ensure that if you are in an enclosed office, never face the door as you will be exposed to too many interruptions.
• Change the route you take to work and change the radio station you listen to.
• Seek out time with colleagues you don’t know well.

Now start with your cupboards and filing cabinets. Get rid of all that unnecessary paper and clutter. You will feel more organised, especially if you update your calendar and to-do lists at the same time.

Lastly, go home and clean out your cupboards. It is cathartic to clean out (take my advice – be ruthless!) and give away to those who need it more than you. The Butterfly Box will change the way charity shops are perceived. The first, in aid of Hospice and The Lonely Road Foundation, opens on 10 October at Threads Project in Woodstock. They are currently calling for donations of good quality and designer male and female clothing, bags, shoes and accessories (that will be sold at bargain prices), visit www.hpca.co.za  and found out where you can drop your donation, or how it can be collected.