BIG ONES. LITTLE ONES. GIGANTIC ONES. ALMOST FORGOTTEN ONES.
Here are some of mine:
- The unfinished book I am writing
- The stack of unfiled papers
- The stalled projects
- The business loans that need to be paid off for a business long past
- The promised meeting, report or other deliverable that just never gets done
- The relationships that I need to exit
- The projects that no longer fit the direction I am taking
And that was just a quick sweep around my office. Go through my home and you’ll see:
- The stacks of books not read
- The projects not quite finished
- The cluttered basement halfway cleaned up
Those of you in larger organizations can name even bigger messes:
- The service line or product that needs to be discontinued
- The team member that needs removing
- The big issue that needs to be surfaced
- The project that goes on well past its useful life
Each and every mess consumes space and energy. It diverts attention from what really needs to happen. And even if they are neatly tucked away in a closet or a far away city – they still create a subconscious diversion – that constant nagging voice that commands attention.
Cleaning them up requires some energy and time – but not nearly as much time and energy as they will drain over time. Think of them as a slow drain on a battery – they suck just a little bit every day, but the cumulative effect is great.
Cleaning up a mess is freeing. It feels good – at least when you are done. It eliminates the steady drain. It frees time, energy and space for the things that really matter.
So my challenge to you – what messes might you clean up in the next month? What would be the outcome three months from now once the mess is no longer casting a dark shadow over you?
