December de-clutter

Here is my desk in December.  Sigh.

I keep a well-used Moleskine full of clippings, stories and jottings from mentor meet-ups, inspiring people I meet and quotes of stuff that resonates. I’ve got my research reading, so I can’t stray (too frequently) by indulging in other guilty reading pleasures. The desk is indeed burdened.

I enjoy this time of year because it requires attention: collating, tidying up, chucking out. I like to go through my notes and combine collected thoughts onto a single page: progress, insights and challenges.  Then I review what didn’t work and why. It’s mostly a career-focused de-clutter, but there’s some personal stuff too.

In January there is cloud time. By this I mean time to think. It comes from the era when I travelled alot and found that the best time to think was on a flight, staring out of the window at the clouds.

In January, I plan to borrow an idea from my friend Simon. Every January he writes a journal in long-hand. Only in January. In the journal goes as much or as little as he likes.  It’s only for one month. I think this is masterful.

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. I once admired the Chinese notion of a Five Year Plan but these days five years seems so long. Any career plans seem rather pointless in the current circumstances.

But it’s always good to review and file the old year and contemplate the new before Australia Day brings on a new working year and a fresh tide of clutter.