A Zen-like approach to working can help reduce work-driven stress.

It's difficult to imagine the word Zen used in the same phrase as real estate marketing. When we think about Zen...we think about calm, peace and tranquility.

But when we think about real estate marketing, images of frantic, go-go stressful activity come to mind.

It is however possible for the 2 seemingly opposite concepts to co-exist.

A Zen-Like Work Environment

Zen-like behavior is calm, focused  and unstressed.

To balance...or offset...the impact of active real estate marketing, why not make your personal workspace, perhaps your home office a haven of peace and tranquility?

In most cases, this can be achieved at no cost, simply by uncluttering the space in which we work.

Triggered by developing my vision  board, I am now about half-way through this process...and it feels great.

I have cleared my desk, bookshelves and all other horizontal surfaces of the stuff that I have allowed to collect.

Gone are souvenirs, knick-knacks, brick-a-brack and everything else that I don't need to do my work.

Most of my work is now online. This means that I no longer need lots of pens, pencils and paper within easy reach.

Nor do I need things like staplers, paper-clips and elastic bands on or near my desk. This office gear is still available...it's just out of sight.

And while I was at it, I also purged my bookshelves of dated and obsolete books. Somehow I think I can manage quite nicely without Windows 95 for Dummies.

In my increasingly less cluttered, more Zen-like work space,  I am already feeling less distracted and more focused.

Instead of the dusty curling trophy I won in 1974, I can visualize my goal of enjoying endless summer.

It's much easier to focus on today's work and tomorrow's goals  for tomorrow when are are not constantly reminded of yesterday.

Everybody Wins

In creating my Zen-like work environment,  I have also created a situation in which many people win.

Certainly I am enjoying...and will continue to enjoy...a calmer, less cluttered workspace.

Although no longer useful to me, much of the removed clutter will be useful to others...so it will be delivered to charitable second-hand shops.

As for the out-of-date books...they are now outside in the blue bin, awaiting pick-up for recycling.

My workspace is now so calm that today's dose of bed economic news is not nearly as disturbing as it has been.

Is this because of my more Zen-like approach...or because the economic news is not as bad as it has been?

It doesn't really matter...today is going to a great...and productive day.