Exercise #6 (of 30): Create Boundaries

Right App – Right Device. Right Things – Right Place. Right Work – Right Time.

I believe this simple (and short) exercise will produce significant gains in productivity… Create Boundaries.

What do I mean?

I believe we’ve created clutter in important areas of our lives; and by creating boundaries now – we can remove the clutter, have have things work more effectively for us. Or rather, have us work more effectively with things.

While I’m providing a few personal examples, you can extrapolate to create a series of your own.

1. Computing & Media Consumption Devices (Phones, Tablets, eBook Readers, Notebook and Desktop Computers etc.) – to create a unified computing (and reading/viewing) experience, we tend to have the same apps on multiple devices. For instance, Google Sheets on both our phone and tablet computers (in addition to the obvious access we have our our desktop computer.) This leads to a visual clutter on our phone, and possibly, the temptation to work on a spreadsheet on our mobile device, instead of waiting until we’re using the more effective tool (tablet/desktop computer). We can create boundaries by deleting the Kindle App from our iPad; and relying on the plain-vanilla Kindle Reader device for books. We can also delete the Facebook & Messenger App from our tablet computer if we want to keep the device for focused work. I just deleted all my social media and banking apps from my iPad; and deleted the entire Google Work Suite from my iPhone. I’m also choosing to conduct online banking only when I’m my desk, so I’m hiding my banking iPhone apps in a ‘catch-all’ folder – it’s not easily accessible, but still available when there’s urgent need.
2. Duplicate Clothing (yes, I have those) – in a storage box instead of the wardrobe.
3. Physical Spaces – for instance: no reading material at our desk; no media devices in our bedrooms; no personal items in the office. Creating such boundaries reduce clutter in physical spaces that we work in, creating 1) more space, and 2) a greater sense of focus when we’re ‘at work or play’.
4. Windows of Time – Clutter can sometimes come in the form of activities that take place when there’re not meant to. Getting immersed into a series of videos and/or TV programs after dinner (for example) is not what I want to do. And so, to create healthy boundaries, I’m making a decision now – to restrict the watching of any video entertainment to the hour just before dinner. In doing so, I create a system that declutters my daily routine.