Opinion Editorials

Why I Write for AG

Published

12 years ago

December 25, 2008

Recently, there’s been a bit of bickering going on in the real estate blogosphere and there’s been some blanket statements made about AgentGenius contributors. It got me to thinking about why I do this (usually) once a week.

The pay sucks, I still haven’t seen a check.
Benn & Lani only live in the 10th Greenest City in the country as opposed to me living in the 1st, so in a way, they’re also killing me 🙂
It’s not to try out the latest version of WordPress (2.7’s been out for 2 weeks 🙂 )
I’m not a real estate agent, lending professional, appraiser, inspector, home stager or even working a day job in the real estate industry anymore. But I am fascinated by the inner workings of it, so I will always be involved one way or another.
Per point one above, our recent contributor prize pack really won’t benefit me too much. I also received no letter or email from Benn saying that in order to receive said gifts, I had to write a glowing review. I’m here to talk about technology and consumers, so (time permitting), I plan on writing some honest reviews of these services, but not here since they’ve all been talked about already.
I have received no extra speaking gigs, business or Nobel nominations as a result of writing here. I do it because the people who comment here are nice, thoughtful and grateful for the information.
Some of the contributors live in states I could never live in and voted opposite me in the elections, but every single one of them I have met or had a single direct message on Twitter with have been genuinely nice, friendly people. And it’s been a really rough year for me, so AG has been a great support group.
I get a ton of traffic to my site via AG. Just slightly less than 1% of it, to be exact.
Benn and Lani have a passion for AG. Whatever their underlying motives may be, I don’t care because all that comes out is they want to have a great, high quality, informative site with excellent contributors and community members.

And here’s my number one reason for writing here:

I was asked.

I must give off a bad vibe to people since I’ve been turned down for so many jobs I’m easily qualified for, but every job I’ve had I have blown everyone away. For me, I just need to be given the chance. So I was honored and excited that Lani had noticed me and was willing to take the risk with me. Hopefully I’ve lived up to the expectations.

So for anyone who thinks AG contributors are here for fame, glory, money or free stuff from vendors, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

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Proposed New Real Estate Designations for 2009

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Every good boy deserves fudge…uh, I mean, goals.

Nick Bostic

Nick runs a new media marketing consulting company helping real estate professionals learn how to implement new media tools into their marketing arsenal. He frequently gives presentations on generational marketing, green marketing and advanced online promotion. Nick is active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

22 Comments

Ken Brand

December 25, 2008 at 5:18 pm

Cheers in 2009 Nick – you keep keep’n ON, it’s like smack’n that boulder with a sledge hammer – nothing except sore shoulders and sweat stung eyes….then suddenly – it cracks wide open.

As an AG writer you might not be paid in fame, glory and money, but I’m certain you’re paving a path to your personal definition of success.

Amen – Rock ON!

Reply
Mike Mueller

December 25, 2008 at 5:43 pm

Nicely said Nick!
Let me say that I certainly appreciate your contributions here as well as the contributions from the other writers.
Special thanks to Benn and Lani for providing the forum.

Reply
Marc

December 25, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Always a pleasure to read you Nick as well as everyone else here who appears to me to wake each morning on the bright side of the bed and interested in helping, teaching and working with everyone in this business albeit fellow agents coaches, brokers, other writers and even vendors.

Benn and Lani build a nice place here, full of good vibes and all. It is much appreciated I’m sure by those who actively contribute but equally as appreciated by those like me who read it faithfully.

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Chris Griffith

December 25, 2008 at 7:20 pm

I just did something similar on my blog about the whiners with green eyes. Crap, I’m not even writing here and people are pished at me. lol

There seems to always be someone mad about what other people do or what they have.

Water off a duck, Nick.

Reply
Matt Stigliano

December 26, 2008 at 8:44 am

Nick – I think most of the writers would echo your sentiment. I write because I was asked. It was a honor for me as such a new agent, but I love doing it. Let people say what they want, its the internet and people always will. I know why I come here and read/comment/write. I don’t need to worry about why others wouldn’t. Through AG I’ve met some great people who have really helped me as I begin my career and pushed me to learn more and do more. Say what you want about AG, but that’s reason enough to show up.

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Jay Thompson

December 26, 2008 at 9:06 am

Bravo!!!

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Erion Shehaj

December 26, 2008 at 11:55 am

There has always been and there will always be haters on the way to perpetual success. So I guess the bickering is a welcome sign.

Get … that … dirt off your shoulders 🙂

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Jim Gatos

December 26, 2008 at 6:07 pm

It’s just soooo sad….

I’m not getting into it except to say it’s really sad to see upset feelings and such. I also think Russell Shaw is “under-utilized” in real estate. The man should be a TV or Movie Comedy Writer LOL…

Take care…

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Missy Caulk

December 26, 2008 at 8:35 pm

…I write here because I was invited and I love it and the other writers. Period.

I’m sure you wouldn’t choose to live in Michigan with our cold, snowy winters, but it was great to meet you in S.F. and Ann Arbor is a really great city to live and talk about.

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Ines

December 27, 2008 at 1:45 am

Nick….you are DA MAN!! I love being here and feel honored to be surrounded by such great people.

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Lisa Sanderson

December 27, 2008 at 9:27 am

I think I missed something-guess I need to wade through my feedreader to see what’s been going on. Unless someone wants to link me up….

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Marc

December 27, 2008 at 11:50 am

It’s simple really, there are some seriously unstable folks in this business that enjoy attacking others who don’t quite into their model of perfection. And so they take it upon themselves to point out the flaws in others. AG was honored with their latest throw down.

The really sad thing this is how much glass their own house is made of.

Bottom line is, AG has it own culture and there is no rule that says it has to ever fit into anyone else’s mold but it’s own.

I read the works of AG writers and find this destination to be the one of choice in getting access to the pulse of the agent community along with the positive vibe it breeds.

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Jim Gatos

December 27, 2008 at 12:36 pm

When is this going to end?

I can’t say I blame Greg 100%, but I think he went WAY WAY WAY too far with the name calling. His business I guess..

Who’s right? Well, let’s just say I don’t think you’re all a bunch of sell outs, but I AM going to be a little “dubious” of some of the “positive glowing” posts I read here. I said some, NOT all. Latest example, the one about Postlets. Are they going to be a paid advertiser soon? Seems like that’s what it’s leading to..

If they are, then maybe you folks could create at least a new category, like “Paid Advertiser Shill Review”…

I sincerely hope I don’t want to get anyone mad at me, but remember, please. I am a frequent commenter on Agent Genius. I am simply Mr. Joe Q Public Realtor…

I’ve read ALL the comments “over there”.. I think some folks have made their point against Greg too. I don’t think anyone’s right or wrong.

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Benn Rosales

December 27, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Jim, I appreciate your comment, and this is the very last time I will speak on this subject publicly, especially in this thread.

We have reviewed, tutorialized, and suggested 100s of products in the past year, and I have ignored 1000s. Our writers at Ag cannot endorse anything for Ag, we do not speak for them, and they do not speak for us. Further, if a post is paid, it will say so- period.

No entity can or will ever advertise on Ag w/o a review and every review has cons to it when reviewd. We’ve always believed that cons allow a company to demonstrate its customer service side and its willingness to grow.

The products offered to our contributors are approved vendors, and you’re damn right I recommend them. Find me a product to date that out does what they do for the real estate community and I’ll be happy to review them- it’s what I do.

The controversy spun by the ill is just that- an illusion. How often do you see an Ag contributor spinning hatred on Ag or in the sphere? Never. It again is not what we do. The idea that any site has nothing to gain by randomly attacking another for traffic and righteousness is ridiculous- we simply do not participate, nor do we play the game of victimizing companies offering products and services.

You are not simply mr joe q realtor when you engage in the types of activities that have gone on as of late- I hold you responsible for what you say, there is no double standard to be laid out for anyone attempting to damage or harm us.

Our policy for reviews has been in our footer for the better part of the past year, if you really want to know our policy, I invite you to read them.

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Marc

December 27, 2008 at 3:29 pm

I don’t buy it Jim. Who appointed Greg, or you, or anyone the guardian of what’s right or wrong in the blog world? And why, in god’s green earth, are writers and editors from one blog even commenting on or judging the writers and editors of another?

This whole thing is sickening.

This would be unheard of in the newspaper world. Editors from competing papers don’t take to raking each other over the coals nor do their litter of writers ever gang up on colleagues from another.

What happened this past week, which came just days after a scud of an editorial was launched on Brad Inman – a man who single handedly invented online real estate journalism and in my mind, brought technology to the forefront real estate years before it ever would have if left on its own to discover.

The pattern there is so evident.

There is so much wrong about what has been perpetuated here against AG especially considering it how it all began Christmas eve knowing full well that incriminations like this would only serve to upset so many good people during such an hallowed holiday.Is nothing sacred anymore?

This attack was cold. It was calculated. And it reeks of the same stench that continue to waft in from the cage out back behind the real estate house.

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Marc

December 27, 2008 at 3:41 pm

Recommended reading – This wonderful blog post from Tony, the CEO of Zappos.

https://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/ceo-and-coo-blog/2008/12/27/everything-i-know-about-business-i-learned-from-poker

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Lisa Sanderson

December 27, 2008 at 3:48 pm

There is never a good time for cheap n easy potshots but I agree that the timing of this one couldn’t be worse. (Yes, I found the offending post, unfortunately)

The power of our words is great, and I feel fortunate to be associated with a group of writers here on AG that know that and who take that responsibility to heart. The ‘good vibes’ mentioned by a previous commenter make this place a pleasure to hang around. Let’s not ever forget that.

Reply
Jim Gatos

December 28, 2008 at 12:43 am

Benn..

>>You are not simply mr joe q realtor when you engage in the types of activities that have gone on as of late- I hold you responsible for what you say…

I hope you’re not accusing me of anything malicious. If you saw my other posts at the “other place”, I implored with Greg to apologize to you. Even though I can see his point of view to some extent, I want you to know I NEVER thought it would get THIS ugly. There are much nicer, diplomatic, and politer ways to say a viewpoint. I was sincerely hoping BOTH OF YOU would meet each other halfway. I can also see your point of view, but I am NOT going to flip flop and take your side 100%, neither Greg’s. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding on Greg’s part, in the beginning, or so I thought. Perhaps he should talk to you in private. I don’t have a bone to pick with you, nor Greg. I respect BOTH blogs and I said that there and I’m saying it here. I thought it was a horrible thing that took place. Am I upset? Not really. I was told I am a “sweet & gentle man” but he wanted to handle things HIS way. I have to respect that.

So, I’m sorry I was backstabbing you if that’s what you thought, ’cause I’m not. As Marc says, “Editors from competing papers don’t take to raking each other over the coals”, yes, that may be so, and you know what? I wouldn’t do that myself. That’s how Greg wanted to do it, that’s how it is. I may have made a mistake in attempting a “polite” way to handle things. Now I see if someone wants to act a certain way, they probably will, no matter what, whether it be you or Greg…

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Marc

December 28, 2008 at 11:50 pm

I also said, writers don’t chime in on the attack either and felt that way as a result of the BHB peanut gallery that chimed in behind Greg’s original post.

But regardless, a real man, a man of integrity, a man with soul, would have picked up the phone, called his colleague and brought whatever concerns he had about this affair to them privately because doing this publicly crossed all boundaries of decency, sport and competition.

This has nothing to do with transparency or being morally convicted to wearing your heart on the sleeve of the Internet. This was ruthless and calculated and I for one have no respect for anyone that dives that low.

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Nick Bostic

December 29, 2008 at 7:04 pm

Whew! Take a few days off the computer and look what happens 🙂

@Ken – I definitely agree, if I felt I got nothing out of this, I wouldn’t be here for sure. It’s fun, it’s a great group and I’m looking forward to the day the boulder cracks!

@Mike – Thank you much, Benn and Lani are definitely great hosts.

@Marc –

@Chris – Being in Oregon, I have to be a duck!

@Matt – I definitely am not concerned so much with what others think, it was honestly a bit more of a reflection shared publicly 🙂

@Jay – Thankya much sir!

@Erion – Dirt is officially brushed off, thanks!

@Jim – I can honestly say I had no hurt feelings at all, it was a bit more shock at the complete lack of understanding from the attacker. I agree about Russell too though.

@Missy – Cold snowy winters? I had a week and it was enough 🙂 I’ll come visit someday though. It was great getting to meet you in SF too!

@Ines – Thank you much, send some of that Miami heat my way though!

@Marc – “there is no rule that says it has to ever fit into anyone else’s mold but it’s own” – I couldn’t agree more. Your business has one mold, Inman another, AG another, etc. There’s room for more than one idea out here.

@Benn – exactly the same rules/guidelines you set forth when I joined and I still agree with them 110%, otherwise I wouldn’t be here! Thanks again for the venue.

@Lisa – I love the “good vibes” around here, even when people are complaining about something, they get it out in a lighthearted, fun way. Again, part of why I’m here.

And without further ado, I am quite done with this! I can see some people got far more stressed out than I ever did over this and those of you who have met me know I’m one of the most laid back people around, so hopefully you all know I wasn’t trying to pick a fight. Again, thank you Benn and Lani for having assembled this great group and provided a wonderful venue to share our ideas and best practices.

Reply
Steve Simon

December 31, 2008 at 8:14 am

Well the wife is sick,I was sick, glad I missed most of this…

Reply
Vicki Moore

January 6, 2009 at 6:18 pm

I know what everyone needs – a good IRS Audit!! Nothing like it to change the attitude.

Reply

Opinion Editorials

Before you quit your job, ask yourself these 5 questions

(OPINION / EDITORIAL) Frustrated at work? Here are 5 ideas utilizing design thinking and exploration tactics to assess if you really are ready to quit your job.

Published

16 hours ago

March 5, 2021

Erin Wike, Staff Writer

Man reclining on beanbag with laptop, thoughtful. Considering tactics before you quit your job.

We have all been there. We are in a job that just doesn’t feel right for us. Maybe we strongly dislike our manager or even our day to day work responsibilities. We find it easy to blame everyone else for everything we dislike. We question life and ask “Is this what life is all about? Shouldn’t I be spending my time doing something I am more passionate about?” But, we probably like the regular paycheck… Thus, we stay there and possibly become more miserable by the day. Some of us may even start to feel physical symptoms of headaches, stomach aches, and possibly depression. We also may go to the internet like this person seeking answers and hoping someone else can tell us what to do:

“I feel conflicted but I want to quit my job. What should I do?

I was thinking of quitting my job because I dislike what I do, and I feel I am underpaid.

However last week my colleague tendered her resignation too. Needless to say, if I leave too, my whole department will fall into a larger mess and that causes some feelings of conflict within me.

Should my colleague quitting affect when I want to leave too? How do I go about quitting now?”

We can definitely empathize with this – it’s really uncomfortable, sometimes sad, and hard to be in a position where we feel we are underpaid and we aren’t happy.

So, how can you navigate a situation like this? How do you figure out if you should just quit your job? How can you be an adult about this?

Here are some exploratory questions, ideas, and some design thinking activities to help you answer this question for yourself.

Before you up and quit, assuming you don’t yet have your next opportunity lined up, have you considered asking for a raise – or better yet, figure out how you add value to the organization? Would your supervisor be willing to move you in to a new role or offer additional compensation?
If you don’t have a job lined up, do you have the recommended AT LEAST six months of living expenses in your savings account? Some would recommend that you have even more during a global pandemic where unemployment is at an all-time high – it may take longer to find a new position.
Do you have a safety net of family or friends that are willing and able to help you with your bills if you don’t have your regular paycheck? Would you be willing to put that burden on them so you can quit your job?
Why aren’t you job searching if you are unhappy? Is it because the task seems daunting and the idea of interviewing right now makes you want to puke?
What would your ideal job be and what would it take for you to go for it?

Many people claim they don’t like their job but they don’t know what to do next or even worse, don’t know what they WANT to do. To offer a little bit of tough love here: Well, then, that’s your job to figure it out. You can go on Reddit all you want, but no one else can tell you what is right for you.

Here are some ways to explore what may be an exciting career move for you or help you identify some areas that you need to learn more about in order to figure out where work will align with your skills, interests, and passions.

Consider ordering the Design Your Life Workbook that provides writing prompts to help you figure out what it is that you are looking for in a job/career. You may also like the book Designing Your Work Life which is about “How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness at Work”.
Utilize design thinking to answer some of your questions. Make a diamond shape and in each of the four corners, write out the “Who” you want to be working with, “What” you’d like to be doing, “Where” you’d like to be, and “Why” you want to be there or doing that kind of work.
Conduct informational interviews with people doing work that you think you might be interested in. Usually these conversations give you lots of interesting insights and either a green light to pursue something or validation that maybe that role isn’t right for you either.
Get your resume updated. Sometimes just dusting off your resume, updating it, and making it ready gives you a feeling of relief that if you did really want to pursue a new job, you are almost ready. Consider updating your LinkedIn profile as well.
Explore what you can do differently. A lot of what we can be frustrated about can be related to things out of our control. Consider exploring ways to work better with your team or how to grow to become invaluable. Tune in to Lindsey Pollak’s podcast, The Work Remix, where she gives great ideas on how to navigate working in current times where there are five generations in the workplace. There may be ways you need to adjust your communication style or tune in to emotional intelligence on how to better work with your supervisor or employees. Again, focus on what is within your control.

You may decide that you need to quit your job to be able to focus your energy on finding a better fit for you. But at the same time, be realistic. Most of us have to work to live. Everyone has bills, so you may continue working while you sort out some of the other factors to help you find a more exciting prospect. Either way, wishing you all the best on this journey, and the time and patience to allow you to figure it out.

Opinion Editorials

New USPS duck-shaped truck design has mixed reactions

(OPINION / EDITORIAL) The USPS is getting a fleet of electronic delivery vehicles. We’re wondering if the actual design got lost in the mail.

Published

4 days ago

March 2, 2021

Robert Snodgrass, Staff Writer

New USPS truck in a fictional neighborhood delivering mail.

So the USPS is getting new trucks and they look like ducks and maybe that sucks… or maybe it wucks. Like “works,” if a duck said it. Just give me this one please.

Anyway.

I don’t know how mean I can be here – there has to be something said for objective journalistic integrity – but I have a feeling most people are going to have a rather sarcastic reaction to the new design. I’m not so sure I can blame them – it has a kind of stubby little nose with a shortened hood and a boxy frame and super tall windshield, which gives the wheels a disproportionately large look compared to the rest of the silhouette. It’s sort of like a Nissan Cube but less millennial cool, which A) is discontinued (so maybe not so cool), and B) is not the car that had those giant hiphop hamsters running around, but I’m still going to link to it anyway.

Elon Musk must be breathing a sigh of relief right now.

The contract was awarded to Oshkosh Defense (which I was thrilled to find out is NOT the adorable kid’s clothing company, even though I personally think that would be hilarious if there was a factory making overalls for tiny humans alongside tactical defense trucks) and officially announced on February 23rd, 2021 to the tune of $482 million. Seriously though, someone is going to mix those up for the rest of all time and eternity; I’d never not think about my own baby pictures if some contractor from Oshkosh Defense showed up.

The release mentions that, “The historic investment is part of a soon-to-be-released plan the Postal Service has developed to transform its financial performance and customer service over the next 10 years through significant investments in people, technology and infrastructure as it seeks to become the preferred delivery service provider for the American public.” It’s called the NGDV – Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, which I happen to adore, and will pronounce as Nugduv, and you can’t stop me anyway. The old one was called the Grumman, by the way.

Some credit this as a radical change, and keeping in mind that radical doesn’t necessarily denote positive or negative, it seems like the perfect word to use here. Then there are those who correctly identify “a mixed bag of responses,” sort of like when you get a bag of candy at Halloween that has at least one thing no one likes. Some call it strange, while others defend it as something every new big vehicle should look like (this is where – as one of many – I found it called a “duck” which oh man do I love, quack quack).

We can also hit up the ever fair public opinion of Twitter, because why wouldn’t we?

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Did it have to be… so… ugly?

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It kinda looks like it came from The Incredibles universe. I kinda like how ugly it looks.?https://t.co/R5Mdmv3mnz

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This is how I would draw a car. That is not a plus for this design

I really can’t get over that last one. But I mean, whoa. That’s quite the spectrum. There’s less disagreement on pizza toppings I think. But luckily I think we’re safe there – Domino’s makes people drive their personal cars.

Taking a step back and putting snide commentary away for a moment, there’s some areas that should be discussed. First – and what should probably be obvious – there was a laundry list of requirements and restrictions from the USPS, which made Nir Kahn – design director from custom carmaker Plasan – offer up his own tweets that give some insight on dimensions and design:

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I was involved in an early proposal for the USPS truck so I know the requirements well. They pretty much dictated the proportions – this package sketch shows that to meet the ergonomic and size requirements, there wasn’t much freedom 1/2 #USPS pic.twitter.com/Fk35g98Z83

Kahn mentions that “there wasn’t much freedom,” but also that “it could have looked much better,” and this sort of underlines the entire discussion I think – there were goals in place, and possibly some more aesthetically pleasing ways to meet them, but the constraints won out and drove (hehe) the design more than style did.

Certainly, there are other concerns – the ability for USPS drivers to reach a mailbox while seated is paramount. Others have pointed out that this design – with its large windshield and shortened front – should help with safety around small children (all the better if they are wearing Oshkosh B’gosh, because that implies they are tiny and may not be at all concerned with the dangers of streets). The open field-of-vision will aid in making sure drivers can navigate places that might be frequented by any number of pedestrians, so that’s a plus.

Further, if you get struck by one of these, you’ll basically “just” get kneecapped versus taking it square to the torso. The duck article is the one making this call, and I think there’s some merit there (though it makes me question how the USPS fleet is going to do against the SUVs and big trucks out in the wild). It then goes on to point out that this design has more cargo space, fitting into the idea of “rightsizing,” where the form and function of the vehicle meet in a way that is downsized, but still punches above its weight.

“From smaller fire engines to nimbler garbage trucks, making vehicles better scaled to urban tasks can make a huge difference, not only for keeping other cars moving on narrow streets, but also to ensure that humans on those same streets can access the bike lanes, sidewalks, and curb cuts they need to get around.”

I didn’t try too hard to find stats on crashes in mail trucks, but seems like something that should be addressed.

Maybe the biggest point here is that we sort of have to get new trucks – they are outliving their 24 year expectancy and catching on fire. On FIRE. I mean a mail truck might be the worst place for a fire. I’m not even sure I can’t think up a better answer… Ok maybe toilets would be worse.

The new vehicles can be either petrol or electric powered, have 360 cameras, airbags, and automatic braking. Oh, and air conditioning, which the old vehicles did not have. So yes, literally the worst place to have a fire. But due to the taller vehicles, someone can stand in them now! So escape is even easier! Hooray!

A series of delays pushed back the introduction of new vehicles from their 2018 projected date, with poor initial prototypes and the pandemic being major setbacks. Aggressive bidding led to extended deadlines, which had been narrowed down to a small list of candidates that included Workhorse (who unfortunately suffered a large stock plunge following the announcement). It’s been in the works for at least six years.

In the end, I don’t think we can discount all the advantages here – more efficient vehicles that are safer and provide drivers with modern amenities. That’s a LOT of good. I think once the initial goofy shock is over, the design will be accepted. Everyone thought Nintendo’s Wii was a hilarious name (still pretty much is regardless of being in the public book of acceptable nomenclature), and Cybertruck sales are brisk, so I think we can set a lot of this aside. The Edsel these are not.

So hey, new USPS vehicles in 2023, like an exceedingly late birthday present. All I want to see is a bunch of baby ducks following one of them around oh please let that happen. The USPS kind of has an identity crisis in the modern era, so maybe a funny little cute silly boxmobile is just the right way to get some attention.

Opinion Editorials

Declutter your quarantine workspace (and brain)

(EDITORIAL) Can’t focus? Decluttering your workspace can help you increase productivity, save money, and reduce stress.

Published

1 week ago

February 26, 2021

Taylor Leddin, Staff Writer

It’s safe to say that we’ve all been spending a lot more time in our homes these last few months. This leads us to fixate on the things we didn’t have time for before – like a loose doorknob, or an un-alphabetized bookshelf, or that we’ve put off ‘declutter’ on our to-do list for too long.

The same goes for our workspaces. Many of us have had to designate a spot at home to use for work purposes. For those of you who still need to remain on-site, you’ve likely been too busy to focus on your surroundings.

Cleaning and organizing your workspace every so often is important, regardless of the state of the world, and with so much out of our control right now, this is one of the few things we can control.

Whether you’re working from a home office or an on-site office, take some time for quarantine decluttering. According to The Washington Post, taking time to declutter can increase your productivity, lower stress, and save money (I don’t know about you, but just reading those 3 things makes me feel better already).

Clutter can cause us to feel overwhelmed and make us feel a bit frazzled. Having an office space filled with piles of paper containing irrelevant memos from five years ago or 50 different types of pens, has got to go – recycle that mess and reduce your stress. The same goes with clearing files from your computer; everything will run faster.

Speaking of running faster, decluttering and creating a cleaner workspace will also help you be more efficient and productive. Build this habit by starting small: try tidying up a bit at the end of every workday, setting yourself up for a ready-to-roll morning.

Cleaning also helps you take stock of stuff that you have so that you don’t end up buying more of it. Create a designated spot for your tools and supplies so that they’re more visible – this way, you’ll always know what you have and what needs to be replenished. This will help you stop buying more of the same product that you already have and save you money.

So, if you’ve been looking to improve your focus and clearing a little bit of that ‘quarantine brain’, start by getting your workspace in order. You’ll be amazed at how good it feels to declutter and be “out with the old”; you may even be inspired to do the same for your whole house. Regardless, doing this consistently will create a positive shift in your life, increasing productivity, reducing stress, and saving you money.