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The brain focuses more on incomplete tasks than finished ones, according to an accredited coach, so if leaders don't practise "mental decluttering" the resulting build-up can become a major drain on their energy.

Whether the unfinished tasks relate to a leader's personal life or their work life, when they start to declutter the relief from tension occurs "straight away", Therese Yeung tells HR Daily.

It's not about a change in their motivation or mindset, it's "the brain actually settling", she explains. And regardless of whether leaders and other professionals are decluttering their physical, mental or digital space, they consistently describe feeling immediately "lighter".

Mental decluttering is more a starting point than an end in itself, but it does make much-needed space for the bigger work of "actually getting the thing done" – whether that's making decisions or completing tasks, Yeung says...