Does Clutter Correlate with Not Being Motivated at Work?

One reason for clutter could be how we feel about our work--or, more precisely, the lack of autonomy, mastery and purpose we feel when we are working. Dan Pink, author of Motivation, The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (due out December 29, 2009) spoke about his findings at this past summer's Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference whose theme is cutting-edge, innovative thinking. He gave a glimpse of his new book's thesis: it isn't money that motivates us to work. It's our sense of autonomy, mastery and purpose in the workplace, what he calls "intrinsic motivators."

Let's explore the three components Pink cites:

Autonomy is "the urge to direct your own life" (Pink). In the workplace this could mean the freedom to choose your time, task, team and the way you want to go about doing it. How many of us actually have this kind of freedom at work? For many of us, the room to be as creative or innovative as we would like is limited. We have to be accountable, show up for meetings, and work 40+ hours a week. This lack of autonomy at work can spill into our personal life and show up in a variety of ways at home. For some, it comes in the form of clutter. "Since I don't have autonomy at work, why should I care about having autonomy at home?" Things begin to pile up and before you know it, clutter has taken over.

Mastery is "the desire to get better and better at something that matters" (Pink). Does your work matter to you? Is it a subject you want to master? For many, work is a means to an end, rather than a subject that inspires us to be a master of it. Inability to be masterful at work can parallel an inability to be masterful at home. While some compensate by creating a home where they feel creative and proud, others slump into lethargy and let the clutter accumulate. Mastery becomes a subliminal subtext: the desire for mastery is always there, but many of us don't let ourselves be conscious of it.

Purpose is "the yearning to do what we do in service of something larger than ourselves" (Pink). Few of us have taken the time to clarify what our purpose is. We get so caught up in the quick-paced, day-to-day responsibilities at work that after awhile we can't remember we had a purpose that serves something larger than ourselves. Getting an education and securing a well-paying job are often the benchmarks of success in our society, but what is our purpose? If our purpose were more clearly defined, we may see that much of the stuff we fill our lives with doesn't matter.

By shifting our focus from the conventional demands of work as most of us know it today to a new way of working that honors who we are, we begin to nurture ourselves. The external clutter we possess might well become less alluring, and the internal discovery might actually become riveting.

Consider Dan Pink's three components of motivation in the workplace. Ask yourself how they factor into your life. Are you filling your life with clutter--unaware that you might want more autonomy, greater mastery and a clearer purpose? More attention to your inner world could mean less attention on filling your life with objects of the external world. Motivated at work could mean more engaged in your personal life, and more engaged in your personal life could lead to clearing your clutter.

Your Subconscious Mind Could Be a Powerful Reason for Your Clutter

Clutter evokes emotion! When I become aware of my clutter, a litany of thoughts swirls around in my head. They're faintly conscious, probably because I have heard them all so many times before. Here are a few: "I may need that food processor!" "Suzi gave me that scarf!" "Mother wrote those recipes!" "When I need that electric drill, I'll save money!" "I know that illustration my uncle painted is worth a lot!"

My immediate response to these disparate thoughts is something like, "Yea, yea, yea! So what?" Then I go into "Ignore Mode" and turn to something I think is more important, like writing this blog. I am certain this chronic behavioral pattern keeps me stuck to my clutter.

I've discovered there's more to my stuckness than I initially thought. A whole subconscious subtext is playing 24/7, and I didn't even know it. It's not just what I am consciously thinking that impacts my life, but what my subconscious is thinking, too. In The Power of the Subconscious Mind (Reward Books, 2000), Joseph Murphy writes about the dual nature of the mind:

"A wonderful way to begin getting to know the two functions of your mind is to think of it as a garden. You are the gardener. You are planting seeds of thought in your subconscious mind all day long. Much of the time you are not even aware of doing so, because the seeds are based on habitual thinking. As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment...If you sow thorns, will you gather grapes? If you sow thistles, will you harvest figs?"


No wonder it's been so difficult to release my stuff--not just physical, tangible stuff but mental tirades and emotional flagellations, too. While I've been sowing clutter-clutching thoughts and rationales for years and expecting a clutter-less life in return, I never seemed to get as far as I would have liked.

Now more aware, I've been searching for ways to wrestle these self-sabotaging, often subconscious thoughts to the ground, I've found two techniques to share--writing with your non-dominant hand and a Hawaiian clearing method called Self I-Dentitiy Ho'oponopono. I'll give a quick summary of both along with links so you can explore them on your own time.

Writing with Your Non-Dominant Hand
A friend of mind introduced me to Lucia Cappachione's The Power of Your Other Hand, A Course in Channeling the Inner Wisdom of Your Right Brain two years ago. Wow! I got excited when I read Lucia's compelling argument with the non-dominant hand. By slowing your thinking and unlocking the secrets hidden in your right brain, you can get creative solutions to questions you've been asking yourself for a long time. I have practiced writing with my left (non-dominant) hand many times and always discover a soothing, compassionate voice I rarely let myself hear. Consider exploring your blocks to clutter clearing using this technique. I bet you'll get an understanding you haven't had before. For more information: http://www.luciac.com/.

Self I-Dentity Ho'oponopono
Double-Triple Wow! I stumbled upon this technique when I ordered Nightingale-Conant's The Missing Secret by Joe Vitale. This Hawaiian technique helps to heal your subconscious, simply by saying the following four sentences, "I love you. Please forgive me. Thank you. I'm sorry." Before you jettison this idea out the window, because it sounds unbelievable, consider this: Hawaiian psychotherapist Dr. Ihealeakala Hew Len healed an entire ward of ciminally insane patients by simply reviewing their files and stating these sentences over and over again. He never saw them or worked with them face-to-face.

I believe the reservoir of our subconscious is one reason why we can't seem to clear our clutter. This clearing method is a great way to pierce it. For more information: http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail~product~missing_secret.aspx. Also, consider reading Joe Vitale's and Ihaleakala Hew Len's zerolimits, The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace & More (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007).

When clutter clearing seems impossible and you feel you've hit a roadblock, I encourage you to start writing with your non-dominant hand to shine a light on what lies under your clutter. And, if inspired, take time to investigate the Self I-Dentity Ho'oponopono clearing method. I've used it many times and found it shifted my perspective quickly.