Spring Cleaning for Your Desk and Mind

Yesterday on Twitter I ran a little survey about what people wanted to see on the blog. I got a pretty good response, and this is one of the ideas suggested to me. The suggestion came from Andrew Hayes and I felt it was a fantastic suggestion.

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The days are getting longer, the weather warmer and soon it’ll be Easter. That’s right! It’s the spring! A time of birth and new beginnings, and traditionally when feather dusters, bleach, furniture polish and all manner of cleaning stuff gets dragged from cupboards for Spring Cleaning.

As writers, maybe we too should do a Spring Clean. Our desks may or may not be cluttered with all manner of trinkets and pieces of paper, so maybe we should organise the area where we unleash our sword (pen… Or keyboard) to help us stay focused. I know that when I look at my desk, the thought of giving it a good de-clutter is daunting: Pens, old and empty lighters, scraps of paper, letters, CDs and DVDs with either music, movies or data on them; magazines, glasses and a teaspoon!

There is so much there to distract me from writing, many reasons to procrastinate, and with the TV remote on there in the mix too… Well, you get the picture, I’m sure. It certainly isn’t cohesive to healthy writing. So, what should I get rid of? What should I make sure is there?

Pens are a great idea. How else can I jot down those random ideas that come to me on a whim? Though scraps of paper don’t fit in with that: They can go. I’ll need a notebook, probably A5 in size, spiral bound. This makes note taking really easy and sometimes, let’s be honest, opening up a new Notepad window and typing your idea, even in this digital age can take a lot longer than using pen and paper. Note taking, as a writer is very important, as I’m sure you all know.

Cigarette lighters, mugs and teaspoons can all go in the bin or sink. Letters can go in the right folders and CDs and DVDs can go back in their cases, nicely neat and tidy. The TV remote, as much as I like being able to control the telly from my desk, can go on top of the TV where it belongs, I think. After all, I’ll be much less likely to turn it on when writing if I have to move to do so.

Phew! *Wipes brow* That done, and my desk looks a million times better! And with a tidy environment, my mind can work much more clearly. And I think it’s time to put my newly purchased notebook to use.

Spring cleaning for your mind is nowhere near as easy as your desk: It’s not just about removing anything distracting or messy. We’re now into the fourth month of the year… I wonder just how many ideas, thoughts, goals and other miscellanea have been floating around in your head since January? For me, there’s been a lot. All jumbled up and in no real order.

So, in this time of Spring Cleaning, maybe we should get our minds in order as well. Put down those goals, make them targets: Who, what, when, where and why? The ideas need to be jotted down, given order and organisation. Also, writing them down, like saying them, makes it all much more real than a mere whim. I spent a considerable while today getting my thoughts, goals and ideas in order. Maybe you should give it a try?

Bring your own duster!

What do you do when Spring Cleaning your desk and mind? Any hints, tips or tricks you find useful? Let us know!

And if we get enough ideas, I’ll throw together a nice post on Spring Cleaning tips from the Writer’s Journey community.