No, I'm serious here...there's nothing worse than not being able to find products, supplies, or something you desperately need and wasting money buying a duplicate! Even though you may live by "there's a method to the madness" in reference to YOUR slovenly habits,, sometimes you have to put your foot down. Cleaning your workspace shouldn't be a chore but a way to inspire new ideas, clear physical space, and be more productive.
How do I know? I'll ask you this...does a hoarder ever accomplish anything outside of basic needs? We all know that freelancing of today isn't just about doing a job and going back to watching TV. While the process shouldn't be all-consuming in terms of clock hours, many successful freelancers find creative ways to market themselves and/or earn "lazy" income while seemingly having the time of their life, right?
Well, every little thing you do to earn money should come with a plan with milestones. A lot of newbie freelancers or gig workers get caught up in earning pennies here and there but when this is your life, it's much bigger than that. So what does this have to do with physical cleaning? The fact that you may be leaving money on the table because it's surrounded by the zillions of sticky notes in every color possible.
- Selling things you no longer use. This is a hard one and I speak from personal experience because some things like books, no longer have any real use. The freelance or self-employment book you bought five years ago may not be relevant or some laws may have changed. However, if there's someone on Amazon or eBay who wants to pay 50% of the list price because the book itself is clean, go for it.
- Trashing things you no longer use or have served its purpose. Sometimes you may be able to sell but certain items may be a gamble and it will cost you more to ship it than to simply purge from your living space. Maybe keep one or two sentimental pieces.
- You actually have a gift for organization. Ah, an idea with a low startup cost and minimal overhead. If you find that you can turn a tornado space into a tranquil place in minimal time, you may be able to sell your services locally. Even if all your good at is organizing electronic files, your services are desperately needed by other freelancers and companies looking to cut costs.
If you find any of the above applies to you, the above is a book I highly recommend. While it's not targeted at freelancers or remote workers, it comes with many downloadable forms that can be used in most work situations. This, in combination with a good binder or high-capacity storage disk, can easily save you from yourself when you're in the middle of a call or conference and you suddenly FORGOT where you put something. *NON- SPONSORED BLOG POST*
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