You're probably well aware that one of the key characteristics of the truly successful achievers in the world today is a powerful application of focus. But had you ever stopped to notice that by being focused, these success role models are also clutter free?

If you're looking for ways to achieve greater success, how about applying some reverse engineering and clearing the clutter from your life in order to create the space for a stronger sense of focus and purpose? It will take more than a quick one-off declutter to achieve sustainable success results, of course, but there's every chance that, by applying yourself to changing your lifelong clutter-gathering habits, success itself will be more sustainable. It may not be the whole story, but being clutter free is certainly an important ingredient in the recipe for success.

No matter how much you desire the success you deserve, and no matter how hard you work to get it, you're unlikely to achieve true success if you don't clear out the clutter in your life for good. The problem is that decluttering on its own isn't the answer. Clutter clearing is a one-off activity and, like it or not, your clutter will always build up again over time unless you change the way you think about clutter for good. It's a question of learning how to recognize and change your lifelong clutter building habits.

When people talk about clutter, what they're usually referring to is environmental clutter. The actual physical presence of unwanted, unnecessary, outdated, space-hogging, dust-gathering items in your surroundings. This is the most visible and obvious form of clutter. Interestingly, though, it's often simply a physical manifestation of other types of clutter which are draining you of energy and blocking your path to success...

There's the mental clutter - that train of worrisome thoughts going round in your head, getting in the way of what's important. Clouding your ability to think clearly, to make decisions and, yes, to focus. If you ever feel as though there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done; or that your brain's so full of information it's going to explode; or perhaps you keep putting things off and then worrying about not having dealt with them yet. That's your mental clutter at work.

And then there's emotional clutter - all those social obligations you'd rather get out of, outdated relationship routines and so-called friendships with people who drain your energy. This clutter comes in different guises, many of which centre around the need to be liked, or to be needed, or included. So emotional clutter can throw up huge obstacles on your path to success if your chosen route requires you to disagree with the status quo or be prepared to stand out from the crowd.

So how about clearing as much of your clutter as you can, before approaching your success ambitions more directly? There's every chance you'll find it a surprisingly liberating experience as you lay the foundations for your future success.