Later, 2007: How To Make 2008 Your Most Productive Year Ever

It's time to purge.

The end of a year is a great metaphorical event to use to enhance a critical aspect of your constructive creativity -- get rid of everything that you can!

Your psyche has a certain quota of open loops and incompletions that it can tolerate, and it will unconsciously block the engagement with new material if it has reached its limit.

I challenge each of you reading this to test out the following hypotheses, and prove me wrong. And if you discover that any of these work, please post a comment with your experience.

Want more business? Get rid of all the old energy in the business you've done. Are there any open loops left with any of your clients? Any agreements or disagreements that have not been completed or resolved? Any agendas and communications that need to be expressed? Clean the slate.

Want more clothes? Go through your closets and storage areas. Box up, bag up, and cart off to the charity of your choice everything that you haven't worn in the last 24 months. And anything that doesn't feel or look just right when you wear it.

Want to be freer to go where you want to, when you want to, with new transportation? Clean out your glove compartment and the trunk of your car. And for heaven's sake, get those little things fixed that have been bugging you.

Do you want more wealth? Unhook from the investments and resources that have been nagging at you to change. And give more than you usually do - in cash, in kind, in service -- to someone or something that inspires you to do so.

Do you want to feel more useful? Hand off anything that you are under-utilizing to someone who can employ it better. Make sure you really let it go, with no strings attached.

Want some new visions for your life and work? Clean up and organize your boxes of old photographs. Do the same with the digital photos that have been accumulating on your computer.

Want to know what to do with your life when you grow up? Start by cleaning the center drawer of your desk, or the catch-all drawer in your kitchen. You won't know how good you'll feel until you do it.

I'm sure you get the idea by now. Whatever you want more of in your life, ask yourself if there is something you can get rid of to make room for more of what you want. Your constructive creativity is ready for a fulfilling new year. It just needs some room to work and play.

You will have to do all this anyway, sometime. Right now don't worry about the new. It's coming toward you at lightning speed, no matter what. Just get the decks clear so you're really ready to rock `n roll.

Return every Monday for more from David Allen.

Comments

[redheaded1]

New Year's Day is a wonderful day to declutter. Recycle, give away, or toss everything that is cluttering up your living space. Your mind and heart will be at ease when you do.

[Norge]

Fine advice and in other words, be thankfull for what you already have and put aside your childish ways and grow up.

where do we grow up to? Is it to be subservient to authority, to a career and the slavish mentality required to Serve the career?
Though The Career more often serves more the interests of institutions than it does those who have such. Authority and institutions own the careerists.

Unless one is self employed for example, a farmer, who is slave to the cow having to milk twice per day.

Perhaps

[shag11]

This is all good advice.

[Orikinla]

Happy New Year and happy new you!

I followed everything you said, but I have nothing else to give away, except my love.

I have more books than clothes. In fact, I can count my clothes within 10 minutes, but my books are my riches.

I gave all the money I had once and became broke. I am now wondering if I did the right thing.
To donate money when you are not rich?

Thanks for the life changing words.

[cktirumalai]

Old formulas and ways of looking at things to which we have become addicted can be as hard to break as any more evident addiction but they effectively block the arrival of the new or its recognition.