How to Have A Fun Workspace Dash
Have you been needing to clean your workspace but can't work through the resistance? This post is for you.
Implementing the ideas from this post will probably take you about 30 minutes (including reading this post), but it'll be time well-spent. I'm channeling Merlin Mann, Pam Slim, and Jen Hofmann for this post, so this will be a complete fusion of our styles. Let's jump right in.
A dash is a quick segment of time where you focus on just getting movement. This term was made popular by Merlin Mann, so read Kick Procrastination's Ass later if you'd like to learn more. The key word in that last sentence was later - you don't need to know more right now to get it.
We're doing a workspace dash, though, so here's where Jen comes in. Instead of beating yourself up about your piles and mess being there, ask what difference you'd like to see in your workspace. What does a more organized and peaceful workspace look like to you? What can you do to make your workspace get closer to what you'd like to look like? Take a couple of minutes or so to write down a few things you can do to get to your desired endstate.
It's time to mix in a bit of Pam. Head over to Pandora and sign up - it's free. Pandora is a free internet radio station that will play music of similar characteristics to any group you tell it to. When you get your account, type in "Black Eyed Peas." You're going to be dancing. Trust me on this. (Pam gets credit for this because she got me hooked on the Black Eyed Peas as background music.)
Now, set a timer for 20 minutes. Pull up the list you created above, put your office chair in a place where you won't trip over it, and start dancing and working through your list. Smile, let the beat guide you, and work until you're through your twenty minutes. Dance like no one's looking.
When your work becomes fun, you won't see it as work. When you don't see it as work, you won't resist it. Without so much resistance, you can do great things with less effort.
(I'm blessed to have such great friends influencing my thinking, online and off. And, yes, I'm listening to the Black Eyed Peas right now.)