Published on Wednesday, Apr 04, 2007
HOW quickly can you find something on your desk?
Less than a minute
A couple of minutes
Not less than an hour (it must be somewhere under all those piles of papers !)
Needless to say, you will go red in the face if the last option strikes a chord. You are a disorganised wreck. The mountains of papers accumulated on your desk stand testimony to the fact. In fact, according to The Wall Street Journal, an average executive wastes six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information due to messy desks and files.
You may have tacked a post-it as a deadline reminder or placed an important document on the desk. But, it vanishes under the inevitable clutter of papers, empty coffee cups and miscellany.
There's not even a rustle --- old papers gone yellow in use. It's impossible to find it when you need it the most.
Workspace or a mini war zone?
With office cubicles getting smaller and cramped, the ensuing shortage of space transforms the workstation into a veritable dump yard. People are forever fumbling around for a pen or rummaging for misplaced papers.
Finding the visiting card of an important contact is akin to looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. `It's in here somewhere' - is all the defence that you can feebly muster .
Even the argument that a messy desk is the sign of a busy and creative mind does not hold water any longer. The opposite is very well true, as sloppy desks heaving under tons of clutter notoriously create confusion, irritability and stifle innovation. The psychological burden of the work backlog spawns a sense of panic reducing one's effectiveness . Moreover, it can say that either you don't care or are incapable of managing your work efficiently.
Orderliness, - a buzzword taught at nursery school, if ingested as an inherent quality saves time. More importantly you are in control and so can augment your performance and in turn the company's productivity.
A clear desk mirrors a clear mind. But how?
The problem of waste, scrap and rubbish has reached such gargantuan proportions that the second Monday in January is officially declared as Clean Your Desk Day. But, do we really need a designated day to spring clean our desks? Why not tame the monster before it overpowers us? Here's how:
First things first
Gain a semblance of order in the chaos by arranging your stuff. Equipment like, computer, printer, etc. could be set on one side of the desk. Keep the telephone in a convenient place, more so if other cubicle members use it too. Leave sufficient room to manoeuvre easily. Personalise your workspace, that's the new age novelty, but avoid overdoing least you should create clutter.
Invest in accoutrements
To get the clean- up campaign under way, prudently purchase some practical contraptions like wire baskets, file folders, etc. Use a holdall or hutch to store books, manuals and reference material. Stepped file-holder racks house assorted files conveniently. Use stacking trays or small light holders to keep pens, paper clips, letter openers, staples, tape, glue, and other small supplies of stationery within arm's reach. If the company provides them fine, or else buy some minimal things for personal use.
Go for the jugular
As the wise man's saying goes, `A proper place for everything and everything in its proper place'.
Designate specific and logical space for various items to facilitate ease of use. Streamline the process by going through every piece of paper on your desk and placing each one in the appropriate file. Else, store them electronically with a scanner. categorise and label files to facilitate easy recall. You may have sub files too if you are storing on your system.
Get the apple cart on track
A clear desk does not necessitate that everything should be out of sight.
It should merely give the feel of a comfortable work zone.
A general rule of thumb is: never have anything directly in front of you but what you are working on and the accompanying trimmings.
Even establishing a desk-tray system with `In', `Out' and `In progress' trays will help you to keep track of the volume of work and its progress more efficiently.
Separate grain from bushel
Avoid delays of any kind. Deal with each incoming item only once , deciding what is to be done - either act on it, file it or schedule it. Also, use the waste paper basket ruthlessly.
Weed out unwanted, expired, irrelevant and duplicated files and trash them immediately.
Keep the ball rolling
An investment today should transform into a lifestyle tomorrow. It's not a one time affair to maintain a tidy desk , place things back in their proper place once you are finished with them; also, clear out your desk before you leave work to gain a fresh and inviting start the next day.
That's it. Now you can boast of a much cleaner workspace!
Less than a minute
A couple of minutes
Not less than an hour (it must be somewhere under all those piles of papers !)
Needless to say, you will go red in the face if the last option strikes a chord. You are a disorganised wreck. The mountains of papers accumulated on your desk stand testimony to the fact. In fact, according to The Wall Street Journal, an average executive wastes six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information due to messy desks and files.
You may have tacked a post-it as a deadline reminder or placed an important document on the desk. But, it vanishes under the inevitable clutter of papers, empty coffee cups and miscellany.
There's not even a rustle --- old papers gone yellow in use. It's impossible to find it when you need it the most.
Workspace or a mini war zone?
With office cubicles getting smaller and cramped, the ensuing shortage of space transforms the workstation into a veritable dump yard. People are forever fumbling around for a pen or rummaging for misplaced papers.
Finding the visiting card of an important contact is akin to looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. `It's in here somewhere' - is all the defence that you can feebly muster .
Even the argument that a messy desk is the sign of a busy and creative mind does not hold water any longer. The opposite is very well true, as sloppy desks heaving under tons of clutter notoriously create confusion, irritability and stifle innovation. The psychological burden of the work backlog spawns a sense of panic reducing one's effectiveness . Moreover, it can say that either you don't care or are incapable of managing your work efficiently.
Orderliness, - a buzzword taught at nursery school, if ingested as an inherent quality saves time. More importantly you are in control and so can augment your performance and in turn the company's productivity.
A clear desk mirrors a clear mind. But how?
The problem of waste, scrap and rubbish has reached such gargantuan proportions that the second Monday in January is officially declared as Clean Your Desk Day. But, do we really need a designated day to spring clean our desks? Why not tame the monster before it overpowers us? Here's how:
First things first
Gain a semblance of order in the chaos by arranging your stuff. Equipment like, computer, printer, etc. could be set on one side of the desk. Keep the telephone in a convenient place, more so if other cubicle members use it too. Leave sufficient room to manoeuvre easily. Personalise your workspace, that's the new age novelty, but avoid overdoing least you should create clutter.
Invest in accoutrements
To get the clean- up campaign under way, prudently purchase some practical contraptions like wire baskets, file folders, etc. Use a holdall or hutch to store books, manuals and reference material. Stepped file-holder racks house assorted files conveniently. Use stacking trays or small light holders to keep pens, paper clips, letter openers, staples, tape, glue, and other small supplies of stationery within arm's reach. If the company provides them fine, or else buy some minimal things for personal use.
Go for the jugular
As the wise man's saying goes, `A proper place for everything and everything in its proper place'.
Designate specific and logical space for various items to facilitate ease of use. Streamline the process by going through every piece of paper on your desk and placing each one in the appropriate file. Else, store them electronically with a scanner. categorise and label files to facilitate easy recall. You may have sub files too if you are storing on your system.
Get the apple cart on track
A clear desk does not necessitate that everything should be out of sight.
It should merely give the feel of a comfortable work zone.
A general rule of thumb is: never have anything directly in front of you but what you are working on and the accompanying trimmings.
Even establishing a desk-tray system with `In', `Out' and `In progress' trays will help you to keep track of the volume of work and its progress more efficiently.
Separate grain from bushel
Avoid delays of any kind. Deal with each incoming item only once , deciding what is to be done - either act on it, file it or schedule it. Also, use the waste paper basket ruthlessly.
Weed out unwanted, expired, irrelevant and duplicated files and trash them immediately.
Keep the ball rolling
An investment today should transform into a lifestyle tomorrow. It's not a one time affair to maintain a tidy desk , place things back in their proper place once you are finished with them; also, clear out your desk before you leave work to gain a fresh and inviting start the next day.
That's it. Now you can boast of a much cleaner workspace!
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