You notice the display at Office Big Box has furniture that look so organized and tidy.

You drool over the latest office feature in Martha’s magazine that looks so adorably perky.

The green-eyed monster has moved into your office and has taken over whatever semblance of  confidence you may have had.

How’d that happen?

It’s natural to look around you for solutions – especially if you’re stuck or dissatisfied with something in your life. And while searching for ideas and inspiration is great, it’s downright depressing to look at how others do it and compare theirs to yours.

“That’s so expensive, I don’t have that kind of money to spend.”
“That looks impossibly neat, I could never keep my office as clean as she does.”
“My office isn’t that big, I don’t have anywhere to put anything!”
“I’ve got so much paper and stuff, I could never get my office to look like that.”

Do these comments sound depressingly familiar?

Or, worst of all, there’s:

Thank God no one sees my office.

Comparison, unveiled.

When you compare, you see differences. And they keep you stuck. Comparison can make you feel badly about how your office looks, your self worth, and even doubt whether you’re an effective business owner. Comparison can become a downward spiral of self-doubt and self-loathing.

If you feel some of those terrible feelings about yourself or your office, you’re not alone.

The answers aren’t out there. They’re in here.

If you’re struggling to put order and beauty in your workspace, I want to let you in on a secret: the key is inside you.

You can look at a million websites for ideas and read dozens of books about organizing, but all that information will not change how your office looks or feels. I’ll bet you already know that.

If you’re looking outside of yourself for answers, you’re missing out on a valuable resource: your own wisdom.

Self-defining vs. comparison

All those people you were comparing yourself to? They all had something in common:

• Your best buddy knew what she wanted.
• The Office Big Box furniture designers knew what they wanted.
• That Martha Stewart – she knew what she wanted (doesn’t she always?).

It’s not like they all had some magic formula that you can’t access. Each of them had a vision – and then they created it in real life.

Find your vision

To banish the green-eyed monster and gain back your workspace mojo, here are 3 practical steps to take:

1. Ask yourself what you want.

What is it you need to work peacefully in your office? No matter how far from it you may feel, write it down or draw a picture of it – and describe it in as much detail as possible.

The purpose of doing this is to forge a clear idea of what your perfect office is like. When you see ideas in magazines, they become tools rather than deterrents to your progress.

2. Figure out what your parameters are.

What’s your budget, space needs, storage needs, etc. This puts your vision into real-life perspective.

3. Start taking small steps toward your vision.

Once you’re clear, the best thing to do is take action. Sitting on your hands will just make you frustrated. What’s one small thing you can accomplish toward your vision? What’s a tiny thing you can do today?

The important thing is to focus on small steps, because they add up. And they’re so much more compassionate.

Although sometimes we lose sight of this truth, you are also part of nature.

Are you fighting nature?

Many business models encourage perpetual productivity. But because our creativity is part of the natural cycle, there must be a time for replenishment, too.

Wintertime is as vital to the life of a plant as the glorious blooms of springtime and the fruits of summer and fall. So it is also with you. And your business.

Creativity takes time

Now, I’m not advocating that you close up shop tomorrow to return sometime in March.

But have you ever walked away from a project that’s been challenging you – to walk the dog, or take a shower, or pick up some eggs from the store and – BAM! The answer you were seeking appears, seemingly from nowhere?

That’s because you gave yourself some winter-time, some space for your brain to rest… and meanwhile the ideas are gestating inside, waiting to bloom.

How to make it hard on yourself

If you stay at your desk, glued to the monitor, trying to get… it… right… Nothing comes.

By forcing yourself to produce when it’s not yet time, you do damage to yourself. You stilt true progress and growth.

Perpetual productivity is painful

So why do you do this? Well, sometimes you need to “get the job done.” But oftentimes, the underlying factor is that the spring blossom and the summer fruit feel good.

You get a high from results. Another checkmark – but at what cost?

The Inspired Home Office 80/20 Rule

80% of creating and productivity is internal and 20% is external, visible work.

This doesn’t mean you need to sit at your desk, twiddling your thumbs for weeks on end. It just means that when you feel the urge to stop (writing, working on a project, whatever), you can trust that it really is time to stop.

And once you’ve stopped, you can choose to do something will nourish your heart and your mind. This will allow the next step will unfold naturally and organically.

Just like daffodils do.

How to work naturally

1. Notice when you force

Do you set up your schedule in a way that forces you to produce, without leaving time for contemplation or rest?

Do you commit to deadlines that seem reasonable, but really aren’t?

Do you notice feeling resentful for intrusions or extra demands on your time?

What choices do you make that contribute to these dymanics?

2. Listen to your inner knowing

While you’re working, listen for a tiny voice inside you that whispers, “I need a break now.” or “Stop.” This is your inner knowing.

It won’t roar, so be alert.

3. Do what the voice says

No, this isn’t a reference to that “I do what the voices in my head tell me to do” bumper sticker.

When you hear that tiny voice, take heed. Really.

You may come to find that the breaks you give yourself take less time than needlessly banging your head against the wall in frustration.

No matter what you do, a daffodil will take as long as it does to go from bulb to blossom. And so it is with you, too.

When you’re in the shower there are several factors that make it prime idea-generating territory:

For one, it’s quiet.

The hiss of water drones out all kinds of distractions. And the fact that steamy water is cascading over you is soooo relaxing. You can’t hear and you feel good. Nice.

Plus, your brain is switched to auto-pilot mode. Did you ever notice that you wash the same way every day? I mean, how often do you ask yourself, “Hmmm… Should I go for the left ear first or the right one?” You don’t process, you just soap up, get clean, and rinse off. All of this happens without much participation from the frontal lobe.

Lastly, provided that you don’t tolerate intruders, you are left completely uninterrupted for 10, sometimes 20, decadent minutes. With no interruptions from the phone, tv, radio, spouse, kids, dogs, it’s “all you, all the time.” Ahh! Because of this, your brain is free! It can roam freely over terrain it might not traverse otherwise.

What you get

While you’re washing, you might come up with things like:

• A plausible interpretation for a dream you had this morning
• The name of that woman you want to call
• Something you want to put in your will
• Pick up milk and broccoli while you’re out
• A new service that could generate income for your business

The bottom line is that, in the shower, all the conditions are right and your brain is having a field day. Some of the stuff that pops up has the potential, if put to use, to directly benefit you, your business, your clients, your financial status, and so on.

So take a moment to appreciate your grey matter and modern plumbing. What a team!

How to keep your ideas from going down the drain

If you’re like a lot of people, ideas must get written down so you can remember to follow up on them later.

But, practically speaking, it’s hard to record when you’re soaking wet. Do not bring your new iPhone into the tub.

The trick is to duplicate the uninterrupted time you get in the shower when you have a dry, accessible recording device handy.

One way to do this is to just take a pen and notepad into bathroom, lock the door behind you, and jot down your thoughts before you hop in to get clean. Or, you can do this immediately after the shower. No one will ever know.

Before your day begins, even just once a week, you can indulge in a decadent moment with a fancy journal, a fountain pen, and a cup of tea.   One of my clients thought she might try using kids’ bathtub crayons on the tile to record her ideas. Go wild! Whatever it takes to get the ideas recorded.

Whatever you do, commit to writing down your thoughts so you can put them to use. It doesn’t take much extra time and, when your brain knows you’re taking it seriously, it will reward you with even better, more plentiful ideas.

Your turn! What tricks do you use to capture your ideas on the fly? I’d love to hear from you!