Robyn Pearce: How to have more time - guard your energy

If we sort the blockage swiftly we have the opposite energy experience. Photo / iStock

I had a great contribution to one of my recent blog articles "How to Simplify Your Busy Life" from Diane.

"One year I removed 1 item per day from my house and wrote it on the calendar. It was really amazing to do the actual writing down as it made you think 'why had I kept it?' After the year was finished I then did a kitchen upgrade and it was easy to remove items from my cupboards. I'd already cleared out most of the surplus items."

I decided to try it myself, starting on my wardrobe. A large plastic storage bin is now on the floor of the wardrobe and every day one thing I haven't used for ages and can live without goes in the bin. It's wonderfully therapeutic, and only takes a minute. I haven't set a completion point: I think it will be obvious.

This and other simple and seemingly low-level 'neat freak' techniques have an enormous ripple effect on the person who undertakes the challenge, especially if said person was previously a hoarder. It comes back to energy.

If any form of natural flow is blocked, an alternative has to be found. We see it everywhere but let's just take three areas - in offices, homes and in nature.

• Big piles of paper are stacking up in an office? The occupant who procrastinates on filing will make another pile and divert their attention, their way of working and even (if the piles are huge) their pathway to their desk to accommodate the dead trees littering their space.

• Bedroom drawers or cupboards are too full? The hoarder will get more drawers or shelving, thus aggravating the problem.

• A tree falls down on a hiking track. If the next person along doesn't have an axe or chainsaw they'll quickly beat out an alternative route.

In each of these three examples, the workaround is not as convenient, but it seems quicker at the time. To sort the paperwork, or go deliberately through the drawers, or cut away the fallen tree - all take more energy and time.

The seeming short cut is a false friend. Habits are seductive. The new piles, drawers or pathways become the norm - and then it's harder to revert.

It comes back to energy: our feelings are our signpost. Notice how you feel when something breaks, isn't working smoothly, or you experience an interruption of your natural flow. There's a momentary pause. We now have choice: to fix the situation as quickly as possible or to get used to the work-around. If we choose the latter option, every time we have to use it there is another small break in our energy flow. It seems almost infinitesimal - but the impact long-term is energy-draining.

However, if we sort the blockage swiftly we have the opposite energy experience.

Ask anyone how they feel after they've sorted clutter or an obstruction of any kind. Without exception they'll say things like 'lighter; energised; positive; fantastic; got more time.'

'Time Management' is really a misnomer: in truth it's 'Energy Management'.

Robyn Pearce CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is known as the Time Queen. She mastered her own time challenges and now helps people around the world overcome theirs. She can show you how to transform your time challenges into high productivity and the life balance you desire. Start by downloading her free report "How to Master Time In Only 90 Seconds" at www.gettingagrip.com. It's a simple yet powerful diagnostic tool to help you identify your key areas for action.