Do you have an inbox filled with old emails that you keep telling yourself you're going to get to?  Do you have junk mail piled up on the counter unopened?  Or maybe it's your voice mail box - too full for anyone to leave a message.  Sometimes, it seems as though the messages never stop coming, and if you insist on holding on to everything, it can be overwhelming.  Whether it's email, junk mail, voice mail or even projects you've started but never finished, sometimes the best option is to 'press delete' and give yourself a fresh start.  It's a simpler take on spring cleaning, and this week I challenge you to delete some things you've insisted you will get to, but haven't. 

I stumbled onto to this topic last Wednesday during my radio segment on the The Breakdown Morning Show with Todd B. on WPGC.  We were talking about my chapter on taming your tech habits in my latest book, How Did I Get So Busy? when Todd confessed he had exactly 1,804 email messages in his inbox.  I challenged him to delete them all by this Wednesday.  Reluctantly, he agreed, and that's when other people began calling in to confess the overwhelming number of emails in their box and vowing to join Todd and delete their old messages.  "I'm joining you Todd.  I'm pressing 'delete'!  I feel so relieved!"

So, what about you?  What clutter is clogging your productivity?  And would you be willing this week to throw some things out - to delete them and give yourself a fresh start?  If you have trouble letting go, here are three simple rules to remember:

1.      If it's important, trust that it will reappear or you can ask for it later.

2.      If you haven't gotten to it by now, you probably don't have time to get to it.  Let it go and re-prioritize.

3.      A fresh start lightens your load and gives you a feeling of clarity that is good for productivity.

My challenge to you this week:

Give yourself permission to throw some things out - whether it's an incomplete project, email that needs to be deleted, or something else that's cluttering your mind.

Journaling assignment:

What are you afraid will happen if you press delete? What is a practical way for you to address this fear while clearing the way for a fresh start?