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Yesterday, I started to work (which meant that I moved from the kitchen to my dining room table) and was ready to rock a super productive week, but I couldn’t. I just seemed to kind of bounce from one email to another, started one project and then got distracted and picked something else up. Then I got on a conference call and so of course everything else got pushed aside. At lunch I went back to the kitchen and looked around. My sink was full of dishes, counters cluttered with the baby’s new drum set, magazines that needed to be recycled, groceries that still hadn’t been put up. It’s no wonder that I couldn’t concentrate with all of that mess and clutter around. So I cleaned up the kitchen and got more out of the last three hours of my day than I did in the first five. And that got me thinking about how much more your business can flourish when you can just eliminate the clutter and really get down to work.
Jill Pollack is an organizational expert who has not only worked with some amazing stars among the Hollywood set, but she’s also just managed to land a new series CONSUMED on HGTV Canada. That in and of itself is even to make her swoonworthy, but Jill is so much more than that. We asked her to answer just a few questions about herself, the show and who / what inspires her
CONSUMED is such a great idea – how did you come to be a part of this?
I got involved in the project after the production company saw me on my website! Isn’t that wild?
Originally you were in television – but on the other side of the camera – what inspired you to make such a dramatic shift in your life moving from television producer to organizational expert?
Well after getting my masters in journalism, my first job was at CBS News. After that I worked at the Sally Jessy Raphael show for 3 years. Then, reality TV as we know it today, the kind of purely entertainment and mindless stuff, got really popular. While it can be good fun, it was a genre of TV that I wasn’t comfortable with producing anymore so I just kind of gave it all up cold turkey and tried to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I found that the stuff I loved to do, create harmony and functionality in the home, were things that some other people needed my help doing... so I created my own job. I mean if you are used to being bossy on a TV set, it’s not such a stretch to boss people around in their own home. In a good way, of course.
Do you feel like you can really make a difference now?
Definitely! I am so thrilled to be able to help others make positive changes in their lives. Whether it is one on one with a private client or with a family that we work with on the show, it’s very rewarding to help people refocus their priorities.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the psychological connection between the emotional and physical clutter in our lives?
When you can’t find your keys before you leave the house, you feel rushed and stressed. When your bills are paid late because you don’t have a system to keep them straight you are anxious. When your dining room table is used as a storage area and not for dining, you are not spending quality meal times with family and friends. This all takes a huge toll on one’s psyche. You just can’t be your best self mentally when your physical world is dysfunctional.
How would you say that translates to our business lives?
When your home isn’t healthy, it is hard to be at your peak performance at work. Being organized is so much more than having a hook for your broom in the utility closet. It is about being responsible for your life and taking care of the little things so you have time and energy to work on the big things. Being cluttered and disorganized is not only upsetting, but it is a big time suck. Being primed and ready to focus on the day is good business. No wonder you were so productive after your kitchen was cleaned! I could never do my homework unless my bed was made.
What’s your best tip for entrepreneurs and small business people – many of whom may be working from home – to help reduce some of the clutter in their lives?
Reducing clutter is essential whether you work from home or not. If you do have a home office, you have to really make sure you are productive. If possible, keep your work space and living space separate. Act like you are going to the office and keep consistent hours, if possible. Take a shower. Don’t wear pajamas at your desk. Make good files and back up your technology.
We all derive inspiration from various places – who would you say that you derive yours from. Do you have your own ‘Business Crush’?
I wish I could be more original... but honestly, who is better than Oprah? She is the Queen. She is all about positive messaging, spreading knowledge and acceptance and having good hair. Hello!!!
Stay tuned to HGTV Canada August 30 at 10pm ET/PT for more of Jill's sage advice and tell it like it is style on the premiere episode of her new show CONSUMED.
