The Mental & Physical Opportunity Costs of Clutter
March 5, 2009
Have you ever come home and looked around your house and thought; “what exploded in here?” Your closets are over flowing, your desk is piled with paperwork and your kitchen cabinets are stuffed with no real organization or sense.
All of this clutter and disorder takes a mental and physical toll on your body and mind. You have to work harder to function in this type of environment. Your mind is slower when thinking because you have to process all the information that your eyes see when looking at the clutter. The difference between a clean and organized desk and a cluttered one is immense. All of this contributes subtlety to your stress level and takes a physical toll on your body. I think most people have studied at least to a small degree the effects of stress on the human body. Here is a short recap = it’s not good.
An opportunity cost is the “cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action.” [investopedia.com] The alternatives that you are giving up are a clean and uncluttered home and a reduction in stress. You are also giving up a great deal of your time each second you spend searching for items you can’t find, shuffling items from one spot to another and generally dealing with the mess. That extra time is time you could spend on building your business, developing a new product, going to the gym or just spending more quality time with loved ones. Additionally you are giving up the potential money you could get from selling some items or the tax breaks you would receive for donating them.
The easiest way to start to unravel a home full of too many things is to start small. Pick the most important place in your house that you use all the time and clean it up. For most people this will be their desk. Then just begin to tackle other areas and get rid of the excess. You have to make room for the things you want to keep so that they can be organized and out of your constant field of vision. Think to yourself if I had to move tomorrow would I want to keep this, if not chuck it.
After you start this process you will be pleasantly surprised by the calm feeling that takes over in your body when you come home. You’ll be more efficient and effective and your mind will thank you.
Christina Helwig
www.GlobalSuccessILG.com
Are You Sitting On Your Assets?
March 4, 2009
I went to go buy a pair of new boots the other day and was slightly frustrated that I could not find any. The saleslady was very sweet and offered to call around to see if she could find me a pair at another store. I thought about it for a second and then declined the offer. I remembered that I had several pairs of perfectly good black shoes at home I had never worn.
So this is where sitting on your assets comes in. We all have tons of STUFF sitting around our homes that we either never use or just don’t need. On some level this stuff has a value and we are wasting it by not using the items. While I do not believe in shrinking or pulling back from starting a business at this time I do believe in being smarter about your finances. All that stuff you are sitting on could be used by you, sold and or given to someone that really needs it. But if it just stays tucked away in a closet it’s worthless and actually costs you money in what we call opportunity costs.
Something that you probably have not thought about are the mental assets that you are sitting on. There are skills, abilities and knowledge that you possess that can benefit another person. If you were to put your mental assets into a product you could capitalize on your inherent abilities. Information products are some of the easiest to turn into a workable cash flow stream. They usually do not require the same infrastructure as a durable good to produce.
Think about the different talents that you have, the things that people commonly ask you questions on, and the subjects that you studied in school or have become highly efficient at in your career. Can you put that information together into a usable form? Jot down your ideas and start to organize your material. Make a commitment to yourself to work on the product for a set period of time each day or week.
In a short period of time you will have been able to take one of your mental assets and use it to better your situation. Regardless of what the economy is doing there are always possibilities and there is always room in the marketplace for people who fill a definite need with a superior service or product. Just remember to get started right away and not put it on your “I’ll do it tomorrow list.” Do it now.
Christina Helwig
www.GlobalSuccessILG.com
I’m Not Rude I’m On Purpose
March 1, 2009
Lately I have been very focused on getting my body in tip top shape. I have been doing fantastic and have stuck on purpose with my goals more than ever before and it shows. I ran into an interesting situation today. We are going over a team member’s house to mastermind and they called and asked my boyfriend what I would want on the pizza. Well since pizza is not on purpose with my plan I had two choices. Ask for something different or just go along and eat the pizza and break the commitment I made to myself.
I really struggled with this. I felt horrible that I needed to call them and ask for a switch. After all they were buying it, I am the one that needs something different and its kind of socially rude. But internally I knew I was doing myself a disservice and I also knew that they would understand if I explained the situation to them. We have been friends for over nine years. I really wanted to stick to my plan and continue on my success streak.
So I called them and thanked them for the offer of pizza and asked if they would not mind ordering me a salad when they called in the order. I explained my goals and my mastermind partner completely understood. I felt 100% back on purpose and they were happy to help me. It is okay to say no to friends and family members when you have a goal you want to achieve. Sometimes while you might feel you are being rude; you’re not. The people in your life will respect you more because you spoke up and stuck to your purpose. This also will help you defeat the heavy pull of social pressure. I knew that once I was over at the house I would be watching three other people enjoying the pizza and I would feel the pressure of joining in. Now … problem solved.
Stick to your goals even if you feel that social pull. That is when you will make your biggest strides.
Christina Helwig
www.GlobalSuccessILG.com