Don't think about a pink elephant.
Recently, I was reading Mr. Cooper is Super to my sons. In the book, Mr. Cooper told his class that he has a superpower and that he could make them think of something specific.
Then he told the class NOT to think of a pink elephant.
Gasp.
All the students began to picture the pink elephant.
Mr. Cooper does have a superpower!
Of course, we all have this superpower.
Picture this. If you're working with a messy desk, this superpower exposes itself throughout your workday.
You think to yourself:
"Focus on updating this memo until you can finalize it."
Then a document on your desk catches your eye, and suddenly you’re thinking about that task or project.
A productivity expert once said:
"Productive people are productive because they use tools to stay focused and mitigate distractions.”- Sarah Tetlow
(It's me. I'm the productivity expert who says this.)
One of the easiest tools you can use to stay focused is to work with a clear desk, which helps to mitigate distractions.
A messy desk, post-it notes, open emails, and open browsers – these are all of the pink elephants begging you to think about them. Close out any emails or pages that are not directly related to the task at hand. Move any files or papers that are also not related. Remove all pink elephants in the room and just focus on your Priority-#1.
Is your messy desk causing you to think about too many pink elephants throughout your workday? Schedule a 30-minute, no pressure, chat with me to discuss how to cage the elephant. (Hmm, I wonder if that's where they got the name of the band, Cage the Elephant?)
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