Author: Mr. Pramod Veturi, CEO – International Business

“Pramod, having a cluttered table is bad Feng Shui. It blocks the free flow of the energy within you, and it will harm your performance”.

This was a comment made by an ex-colleague of mine when he saw my workspace with piles of folders, books, magazines, and other Knick-knacks. Somehow that chance comment has stayed with me. Today, I try to ensure that my workspace is always clean without too much clutter.

My post today, though, is not about the spiritual science of Feng Shui or physical clutter. I want to discuss another type of mess many of us have in our lives- “Mental Clutter.”

We Accumulate Clutter

Just like in the physical space, we let stuff accumulate in the mental realm too.

• That phone call to a relative or friend you have been avoiding.

• The mail or proposal that you need to send out 

• That difficult conversation you know you need to have with someone

• The long-overdue process of organizing your work folders on your computer.

• All the right unused clothes in your wardrobe you have wanted to donate 

All activities postponed are like the files we accumulate on our work table saying we will look at them later. The more files we don’t clear the more cluttered our table becomes. It’s the same with our minds too.

If they are complicated tasks, we can rationalize them. But even the simplest of tasks, we inexplicably procrastinate and postpone. It is just a habit of nature. We like to push doing stuff. 

Anything that engages our mind requires energy- Actions, decisions, choices. The more we postpone and delay, the more energy we block within ourselves.

Clear Your Mental Clutter

There is no great strategy here. It’s quite simple. Pick up one item every day that you know you have been postponing for no reason and take some action. Make a start. You may not be able to resolve the issue entirely. It doesn’t matter. It’s about taking action and creating momentum.

When you start taking action on all the open items one by one, you begin to experience clarity, higher energy, and a heightened sense of achievement and well being.

This post would have served its purpose if it can catalyze you to pick up that one item you have resisted……and take action.

There is a saying in Hindi by the 15th-century Indian mystic and poet Kabir Das that translates as – Do what you can do tomorrow, today, and what you can do today, now !!

Don’t leave too many open items to act on. They suck your energy and slow you down. Clear the clutter of your mind by taking action.