JohnI’ve recently had a revelation – I don’t need the entire room to be clean for me to start working on something. Crazy, right? I used to be one of those people that required that I was clear of all distractions for me to begin work because it would disrupt my workflow; or so I thought. Because of that, I would quit before I started and never get anything done. For instance, that bubble gum wrapper in the corner of the room that missed the trashcan because I can’t throw, I’d let that trash hold me up. Now, I just need enough space to get things done.
This revelation came from exercising the other day. I woke up early and went into my office to get some reps in. When I entered my office, I found balls, toys, and a crib that took up all the ground space. For whatever reason, instead of complaining and returning to bed, I laid down and created a junk angel (like snow angel but with junk) by flapping my arms and legs to make some space, and then I just started pumping out some pushups. After I completed my 5-minute workout, I felt refreshed and thought how crazy it was to let some minor stuff get in the way of me becoming 1% better than myself from the previous day.
This is the same with my workspace. I used to think my desk had to be clear of anything non-work related; and that I needed that cool $100 notepad and a few small little pants for aesthetics. Sounds absurd to me now because when I get into that “flow” of work, I don’t even realize anything is there except my monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Everything kind of disappears or blurs out of my vision when I’m in the zone. So, I technically don’t need something like those cool minimalistic desk setups that are popular on Instagram; but I wouldn’t mind having one.
And don’t get me wrong, if you can keep up with keeping everything clean or have that fun minimal desk, do it. I completely agree that it has its perks and can help one want to work, but it shouldn’t hinder you from starting or finishing tasks. All this to say, quit complaining about the small things and just do it. That bubble gum wrapper shouldn’t hold you back from anything.