When I picked up The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I read it with the intent of sorting out my personal space. I have pleasantly surprised that plenty of the tips could be something that I could take to my business space as well. Something else was even more noteworthy: some rules were great for a business application and some rules were just the polar opposite.

So if you have read my other post on how to apply these rules, then this one follows next; this post is on what not to do. Previously we had a chat about what rules to follow, and they included visualizing where you wanted to end up and also getting comfortable with discarded what doesn’t work.

Now here are two rules from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up that you definitely should not apply to your business. The first rule is to avoid being dead set on is “visualizing your destination.”

You might be a bit confused. How can this rule be included here when it was included in a rule to follow in the prior post? It’s simple. The idea of a destination is troublesome for some people. Some of us can imagine a rough framework of where we want to go, and we can bend and be flexible as we move forward.

Then there’s the rest of us. While some of us are flexible, others are dead set on a path and it’s hard for them to find flexibility.

Say you’re sorting out your space, either spatially or digitally, and you find that something just doesn’t work anymore. You may have a plan, a set visualized destination, but as you’re going through old files and thinking about your work, you realize there might be a new idea. It would be a new way of doing something simple or it can be a side pet project that you want to explore. Whatever it is, being flexible gives you the chance to explore it.

A fixed mindset is definitely not something you want; you want a growth mindset. This is typically true in business and personal development, and it’s no less true in our scenario here.

This brings us to our second point: aim for perfection. You definitely do not want to aim for perfection. The fact is, perfection doesn’t exist. When you’re aiming for perfection, try instead to aim for quality control that sets some standards versus the business equivalent of a Mona Lisa.

The third piece of advice you should ditch is, “don’t change the method to suit your personality.” You should absolutely change the method to suit you. After all, your business is about you. If in the last year something hasn’t worked for you, why would you stick with it? Whatever didn’t fit you last year in business, needs to go so you can make room for new inspirations, new processes, and new ways of exploring your business.

If you’ve read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is there any other tip you thought would work great for your work environment? We’re curious to hear your thoughts!