In this episode, Julie Coraccio, award-winning professional declutterer and organizer, Certified Life Coach & Author, discusses how to Declutter Your Office Space and Your Mind for a Successful Workday.
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Learn how to listen to The Hospital Finance Podcast® on your mobile device.Highlights of this episode include:
- What is inner and outer clutter
- Physical clutter
- Common mistakes when decluttering
- Mental clutter
- Helpful tips
Kelly Wisness: Hi, this is Kelly Wisness. Welcome back to the award-winning Hospital Finance Podcast. We’re pleased to welcome Julie Coraccio. Julie is an award-winning professional declutterer and organizer, certified life coach, and author of 15 books. She is passionate about supporting people and clearing clutter in all areas of their lives, getting organized, and becoming more mindful and aware. For a decade, she has hosted the popular podcast, Clear Your Clutter Inside & Out. In this episode, we’re discussing how to Declutter Your Office Space and Your Mind for a Successful Workday. Welcome and thank you for joining us, Julie.
Julie Coraccio: Hey, Kelly. Thanks for having me.
Kelly: All right. Well, let’s go ahead and jump in. So, you talk about inner and outer clutter and that they’re related. What do you mean by that?
Julie: So, for example, let’s talk about a cluttered, disorganized desk. Right? We have the physical clutter in our space, but it’s also affecting us mentally. When your space is clear, you think more clearly. There is a connection there. Or, for example, if you are creating emotional clutter and you’re really jealous, you might be buying more to keep up with the Joneses and creating physical clutter. So, they are related. Does that make sense?
Kelly: Most definitely, yes.
Julie: I just think it’s important that I want people to be aware of how your physical clutter affects you mentally, emotionally, and vice versa. Because when you start to work in one area, it’s going to have a positive effect on the other. So, for instance, as you start to clear the clutter on your desk, you’re going to be able to think more clearly.
Kelly: That makes a lot of sense, Julie. So, let’s kind of talk about physical clutter first. What are ways that people can declutter their work area?
Julie: Great question. So, one thing, stop it before it starts. I’m going to encourage people to set up zones. So, for instance, as I’m talking with you, I’m in my office. I have what I call my library where all my books are and my resource materials. I have office supplies in another area. And I want people to think of their office space in terms of real estate. So, for instance, on your desk, you should have items that you use frequently. So, for example, my thesaurus. I’m doing a lot of writing this week, so my thesaurus is here. I have my extra pens, I have my highlighters. So, you want things that you’re going to use frequently. If you clutter it with things that you’re not using that much, it’s just creating space. And I want people to remember, if you just put things down on a desk and it’s not contained, it morphs into clutter. That pile is going to continue to grow. So, inside your office, things that you would use weekly. So, for example, if you have built-in drawers in your desk, things that you’re going to– maybe there are files that you need to access weekly, I’d encourage you putting those things there. And then around your desk, I mentioned my library a moment ago. So different books that I might reference, I have to get up. Or a filing cabinet, anything that I might have to access, but not as frequently. One area that people get a lot of clutter is with subscriptions and catalogs. Are you using it? Do you need it? A lot of times we can find our resources online. So just be aware of that. Or in ads and coupons, if you’re not going to be using them immediately, let it go. I mean, how many people listening have a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon, right? Because that’s something that we get all the time. Unless you’re planning a trip there, recycle that.
And then, as I mentioned a moment ago, use online resources. I’m a big fan of bookmarking. It allows you to write keywords, how you would go to look for something, you can organize in files, and that way you can get rid of a lot of your paper clutter. And then be ruthless when it comes to business cards, right? Do you really know everyone that you have a business card? And if you don’t, I’m going to encourage you to recycle that. And let’s talk a moment about paperwork, right? Because even with things online, we still tend to have a lot of paperwork. So be ruthless with that. Do you need to do something with a piece of paper? Do you need to delegate something? Do you need to delay something? It may be like, “You know what, I have to respond to this in a week.” Or maybe you can put it right in the recycling bin. It’s really important that you go through your paperwork regularly because that’s something that can pile up and completely create a lot of clutter. And then don’t use your desktop for storage. It’s kind of like the garage, the land of delayed decisions. Sometimes if we don’t know what to make a decision, we plop it on the desk. But as I mentioned earlier, that that can really morph into clutter. And then I’m a huge fan, at the end of the day, tidy your desk. If you’re like, “Ugh, I had a really long day,” commit to tidying up your desk at the end of the week. I talked about mental clutter a moment ago and how that’s related. So, if you tidy your desk at the end of the day, you’re going to walk into your office in the morning to a clean desk.
Kelly: Those are some really great tips. Thank you. So, what are some common mistakes people make when decluttering?
Julie: I’d say the biggest one is an unrealistic expectation of time. I have to tell you, I’m not a fan of the decluttering shows – like Hoarders – or organizing shows because they don’t show you behind the scenes. You have this unrealistic expectation that, “Ah, they decluttered an entire home in 48 minutes.” That’s not reality. So, what I always encourage people to do is block off more time than you think. And great if you have extra time that you didn’t use, you can enjoy yourself. Not tackling at a good time: if you’re not a morning person, don’t try to declutter then. Or not being in the right frame of mind: if you’re incredibly stressed out or going through a difficult time, for instance, if you’ve just lost a loved one. I always encourage people, if you have the ability, don’t declutter right after someone has passed away, because you’re in a really stressful moment. Another thing that people do is they buy containers without measuring and knowing how much storage they need. So that can equate to lost time and wasted and lost money. Or purging sprees. They just get all excited and purge a bunch of stuff, and then they realize they’ve tossed something that was important. One thing that’s also very important is to declutter and organize how it makes sense to you. A lot of people say, “Oh, this person’s really popular. Or my best friend declutters and organizes that way,” but that might not work best for you. Another thing that’s really important is having a rigid focus. I’ll never forget, I went to a networking event, and someone came up to me and said, “Only handle paper once.” And I was like, “Oh, my gosh, that’s not realistic for a lot of us.”
For example, I go out, I have a receipt, I put it in my folder because I always reconcile my credit cards. And then I’m going to handle it a second time, whether I recycle it or I put it in my tax folder. So just don’t get caught up in really rigid rules. I think they can be good guidelines, but just remember to be flexible. And what’s really most important is– a mistake that people make is when they don’t prioritize, right? Because clutter is the stuff that doesn’t matter. So, when you’re really clear on your priorities, it’s going to be easier for you to declutter.
Kelly: I like those. I’m going to be able to use some of those, I think, Julie. Thank you. So, let’s talk about mental clutter now. So, what do you consider to be mental clutter?
Julie: Well, I think the first step is to become aware of what your mental clutter is. So, some examples, for me, would be anxiety, worrying, right? If you have insomnia, to me, that’s mental clutter. Or you ruminate on something again and again, or you’re picking something apart, and you’re getting yourself stuck in the past, or you’re in the future instead of being in the present moment. And so, what I like to say is, “Awareness plus action equals change.” So, for example, if you have anxiety around money, then you’re going to want to take the action of coming up with a plan to make sure that you pay your bills on time. I mean, I’ve worked with people who just don’t deal with it and put the bills on the couch. So, you would say, “Okay, we can’t do that. What plan is going to work for me?” So, I think one way that is a good way for people to clear mental clutter is to unplug, right? How many of us spend all this time on social media? And they’ve done a lot of studies how people think that social media connects them, but in a lot of times, it doesn’t, right? It makes people feel more disconnected.
Kelly: I agree. Yes, yes.
Julie: Yeah. And they’ve also found that people become jealous more easily. A lot of what we see on social media isn’t accurate. So, I really encourage people, “Unplugging is a really good way to go.” Now, I mentioned a moment ago throughout our chat about a messy desk. And I have people that get upset with me and say, “Oh, I’m a creative. I have to have a messy desk.” And I will always disagree with that. And people then bring up Einstein. And I’m like, “Yeah, he was awesome. But I think he could have done even more if he had a neat desk.” And so, I’d like to share, just really quickly, a little tip for if you’re creative, or you don’t have to be creative and you have a lot of things going on and you’re overwhelmed. In a lot of offices, they have the cubby holes where everyone would have their mail cubby hole, and the receptionist would bring the mail in, and then divide it up to wherever it goes. I think those are great tools. So, if you’re working on a project, you can put all the things– maybe it’s a file. Maybe you’re like, “Oh, man, I have a great idea for a project. Let me jot that down.” And you do it on a scrap of paper. But if you have that little cubby hole, you can put it in there. And so, you can access when you need it, but it’s nice and organized. It’s nice and neat. It’s not going to be visually distressing. I think another thing that’s really helpful is to have some type of mindfulness practice. And this has to work for you. So, for example, I really enjoy mowing the lawn. It’s very zen for me. I can do a mind dump. I’m getting some physical activity in there.
I once tried to learn meditation where they had you sit on a little cushion, and you had to hold your fingers a certain way. And then they were like, “Imagine you’re holding a grain of rice in your mouth.” And that just really confused me. I’m like, “I’m not meditating because I’m thinking, “‘How does it feel to hold a grain of rice in your mouth?'” Right? So, make a mindfulness practice work for you. I have a good friend that listens to classical music a lot. But I think that it’s really important to have that time to unwind and give yourself a mental break. I’m also a big fan of getting out in nature. I’m one of those people, if I’m upset or having a bad day, I’ll go out and hug a tree. And they’ve done lots of studies – you can research that – about how being in nature is really beneficial to us in many ways. And then finally, taking care of yourself. I look at clutter very holistically. I touched briefly on emotional clutter. But the more clutter you can clear, the more you can focus on your priority, everything affects everything. If you’re not jealous all the time, right, that’s going to help you mentally. So just be aware of it. And remember, there’s no judgment here. You’re doing the best you can. You become aware, and then you can take action to create change.
Kelly: That’s some great advice and some really actionable tips there. So, speaking of tips, so what are some tips that you have to keep physical and mental clutter at bay?
Julie: Great question. So physical, stop it before it starts. I mentioned, get off of those subscriptions. If you’re not reading the magazine, let it go. And a good tip for that is– because I know people that have tons of subscriptions, like, “Oh, I don’t have time to read it.” If you haven’t read it in a couple months, or if it’s a weekly magazine that you get, if you haven’t read it in the past few weeks or few months, then let it go. Be aware of your clutter kryptonite. And so, what I mean by this is, what is it that you seem to buy a lot of or have a lot of? I know if it’s clothes in leopard print, “Ooh, leopard print clothes. And I get all excited, and I have to say, “Okay, whoa. Talk yourself down the ledge there.” But I know people– for instance, at the Kroger, they will have these 10 for 10 sales. My aunt was joking the other day – she hated peas, and my uncle would go crazy at the 10 for 10 Kroger – and she said, “So when he died, we had a downstairs freezer full of peas because I didn’t want to eat them.” Remember that everything has a home. So, what I mean by that is you put all your files in one place. You put your keys in one place. So, when you have to leave in the morning, you know, “Oh, this is where my keys are.” Or as I look at my desk, I have a little basket that has everything I need to pay my bills. It has the checkbook, it has stamps, it has return address labels, it has a pen. Now that might not– how that setup might not work for someone else, but it’s how it works for me. So, when I’m done paying my bills, writing those checks, everything goes back in that basket so I can find it immediately. I mentioned before, tidy at the end of the day. And I encourage you to do that at home too.
And then regular maintenance. Once I’ve done working with someone and we’ve done a big clearing of clutter, it’s super easy to maintain. But I encourage people, at least once a year, go through everything you own. And I know, again, that that can sound overwhelming. But once you’ve done a big purge, it really can be easy to go through your home. And then some mental tips for keeping mental clutter at bay. Take action, right? We get stuck mentally when we ruminate but it’s because we haven’t taken action. And maybe you don’t know what that action is, and that’s okay, and take some time to figure out. But if you say, “Oh, I’m really worried about my retirement,” and you’ve been thinking you’re overwhelmed and it’s causing you to be really anxious, then you say, “Okay, I can call HR tomorrow and say, ‘How do I sign up for my 401(k)?'” I can say, “Okay, I’m going to commit to only having Starbucks twice a week and put all that extra money into a savings account.” Right? You figure out ways you can take action to reduce your mental clutter. And then have clear goals and priorities. Clutter is the stuff that doesn’t matter. And so, when we’re really clear on what we want to do and what we want to accomplish, then everything else we can let go because we say, “Oh, how does that fit with my priorities? Ah, it doesn’t. You know what? Then I’m not going to worry about that now, and I’m not going to concentrate on that.” And then finally, I think something that’s really important that I’ve been talking a lot about lately is, understand what upsets you. Don’t judge it, but be aware. So I was in a situation, my husband was offered a solution. And this person wasn’t his boss, but was in on the meeting. And she immediately got upset and took my husband as criticizing her. And my husband’s just not like that. He’s a very laid-back guy, but he was solution-oriented.
And so, my feedback would have been, to her, “Are you sensitive to criticism? And figure out how you can hear constructive criticism.” Right? And then because it took a week before my husband got feedback, and it’s obvious to me she probably spent some time ruminating on that. So just understand what upsets you. And again, no judgment, but then figure out what action you can take to help release that.
Kelly: Wow. What great, great tips you shared with us today, Julie. Thank you. And thank you so much for joining us, for sharing your insights on Declutter Your Office Space and Your Mind for a Successful Workday.
Julie: Thanks so much for having me. And if people would like to learn more about me, they can go to reawakenyourbrilliance.com and feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or other social media.
Kelly: Well, thank you for sharing that with us. And thank you all for joining us for this episode of The Hospital Finance Podcast. Until next time…
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