No no, I my not giving away free computers randomly. Or even regularly. I just decided that having 4 computers personally is more than enough. To much even. While I ran Windows upon my Intel Macs (Macbook Pro and iMac) I still had an ugly grey PC case below my desk. Occasionally I bummed my knee or foot against it, It disappeared beneath a pile of papers, it got attacked by a virus so I had to do a complete re-install of Windows XP SP2. But it still worked fine whenever I needed it.
But since I became more enthusiastic about working in an clean work environment I decided to get rid of that computer. The same day I decided to do so, I spoke to my brother. He wanted to buy another PC because his was becoming sluggish and old. Et voilá! My kind of retired workhorse found a new home. And as of today my home is completely run by Apple computers. Me like!
Of course a can’t get rid of Windows forever. Since I develop web-based applications I will continue to have a need for Windows and it’s IE versions.
Most people find it hard to make choices. I know I do sometimes. The difficulty of course depends upon the topic to make a choice in. Deciding between getting a Big Mac and some French Fries or a Cheeseburger with a salad is a much easier decision to make than deciding to stay at your (boring) job or quitting it.
After all, making a choice means NOT doing the other option(s)! The ‘what-if’ scenarios make most of us hesitate to act…
A lot of choices aren’t that life altering. If you choose one or the other, the outcome doesn’t make that much of a difference in your life. Like in the Big Mac or Cheeseburger example. Just pick one and stop doubting… Maybe the people you’re with allow you to take a bite out of their burger.
Making a bigger decision/choice will bring more baggage. ‘What will people think?’, ‘How do I justify this choice?’ etc. All these thoughts will make you loose your connection with your intuition.
Some years ago I had a job I really disliked. Most of the days I drove to work feeling more sad then the day before. I remember, in one of the last weeks, I cried when I woke up realizing I still had to go. Finally I was offered another job, which I took gladly! But I ended up even more depressed because I was too focussed upon getting out of the old job. That focus clouded my judgement and intuition from seeing that the new work environment was even more unsuitable than the one I was working in.
How to make a choice?
Basically: put your trust in faith. There are several things you can do, but I’ll give you two examples.
If you really don’t know what to do, can’t figure out what to decide for whatever reason: try ‘heads or tales’. Assign both choices to a side and through the coin. If you really didn’t have a clou what to choose, simply accept the outcome. However, if you unconsciously had the right answer, your feeling about the outcome will tell you. Are you disappointed or relieved?
Secondly you could write down the choices on a piece of paper and hold one in each hand. Stretch your arms before you and try to feel which one of your hands feels more heavy. Pick that one! Again, are you disappointed or relieved?
Personally, I prefer the first method. But both methods are ways to bring you into contact with your gut feeling. In many cases your feelings will tell you what the right choice is. Trick is to recognize those feelings.
A clean and tidy working space will help to keep your mind at ease. You don’t HAVE to do it freakishly, but try to clean your desk once in a while. Every time I clean my desk (I’m aiming for once a week), I get a kind of libarated feeling and I promise myself to do it more often. And my mind seams to be more focused upon work. Here’s a couple of pointers to achieve this:
1. Write down everything you have to do. Preferably on one spot. This will give you more rest than having 40 post-its upon your office wall.
2. Plan realisticly (one off my personal flaws). It will be frustrating and stress enducing if you don’t keep up with your deadlines. You will have to plan those ‘unplanned’ things and still keep up your own deadline.
3. Delegate. Don’t do thing you can delegate. Make sure the assigment is clear and what is expected. Of that’s the case, leave it. And focus upon your own work. Do keep in mind the deadlines.
4. Remove large files of paper. These normally reside upon your desk or else upon the floor. Take the time and sort them thoroughly using the FAT method. I like to work on a desk where there is only my computer sceen and a keyboard… anything else may distract me. (Correction: will distract me!)
5. Like stated in 4, keep a clean desk! Use the FAT method again to achieve this. It may sound easier than it is, but I really like to work at a clean desk…
Truth be told, I know the above will really work, but I will mention the stuff upon my desk at this moment:
- Computer (iMac) + keyboard
- Laptop (MacBook Pro)
These are allowed because I’m working, but there also are presen:
- two glasses (empty)
- one soda bottle
- a watch (which I didn’t wear today)
- a pen
- a baseball cap
- one bag of fudge
- one bill
- one brochure (whicih I’ll toss into the bin right now!)
I know, I’ve got to practise what I preach, but I’m halfway there. I’m aware that these things will distrackt me sooner or later, so most items don’t reside here as soon as quit working. Keeping your desk clean is an ongoing event.
