Jack Canfield: Clean Up Your Messes to Boost Productivity

Jack Canfield's productivity tips include "clean up your messes" as the number one item, a concept that extends beyond physical clutter to encompass anything incomplete that demands mental attention.

The Burden of Incompletion

The core idea behind "cleaning up your messes" is that incomplete tasks, unresolved issues, or even physical clutter consume valuable "attention units." Research suggests humans can effectively hold about seven attention units at a time. When these units are occupied by things that are incomplete, it drains mental energy and prevents focus on new or more important tasks.

An analogy used to explain this phenomenon is that of a waitress remembering a customer's order until the bill is paid. Once the transaction is complete, the information is no longer needed and quickly forgotten. Similarly, anything left incomplete, whether it's an unfinished letter, an unread book, or a pile of notes, continues to demand a portion of your mental capacity.

Strategies for Cleaning Up Messes

To combat this, the key is to "close up" these incompletions. This doesn't necessarily mean immediately finishing every task, but rather finding a system to manage them so they don't constantly vie for attention.

Physical Clutter and Notes

For physical items like notes and papers, a robust filing system is crucial. This can include:

• Dedicated Filing Systems: Utilizing physical file drawers or digital folders to categorize and store items.
• "Come-Up" Files: A system where items are placed in folders labeled by month. On the first of the month, the contents of that month's folder are reviewed, and tasks are scheduled into a calendar. This ensures that items are addressed at the appropriate time without being a constant visual or mental distraction.

The goal is to remove these items from your immediate visual field and mental awareness until they are actively needed. This is akin to the approach of strategic coach Dan Sullivan, who works in offices with conference tables and has staff bring him only the necessary materials for a specific task, removing them once the work is done.

Beyond Physical Clutter

The concept of "messes" extends far beyond physical objects. It includes:

• Unresolved Relationships: Unsaid words, unexpressed gratitude, or lingering upsets in relationships can consume significant mental energy. Addressing these, even if it's just acknowledging them, can free up mental space.
• Household Repairs: Acknowledging a crack in the wall that needs fixing, for example, can become a constant, subtle drain on attention. If not addressed, the mind eventually blocks it out, leading to neglect of necessary tasks.
• Financial Messes: Unbalanced checkbooks or unorganized financial records.
• Garage, Attic, and Tool Drawer Clutter: Areas prone to accumulation that can be overwhelming.
• Unused or Ill-Fitting Items: Clothes that no longer fit or items that haven't been used in a long time.

Decluttering Principles

Several principles can help in the decluttering process:

• Regular Review of Possessions: One suggestion is to go through clothes and discard anything not worn in the last 60 days (excluding special occasion items like tuxedos).
• The "Box Method": Put everything not used in the last 30 days into a box. Label the box with its contents. If, after another 120 days, you still haven't used anything from that box, it's likely you never will, and it can be discarded.
• Confronting Long-Term Storage: The example of items stored for eight years without being missed highlights that many possessions are not truly essential. The cost of storage, both financial and mental, often outweighs the perceived value of these unused items.

The speaker also mentioned a list of "21 things you need to clean up," which will be shared in the show notes for the episode. This list is a practical guide to identifying and addressing various forms of incompletion in one's life.