How A
Clean Desk Will Make You More Productive
I
have worked with so many people over the years
that have made me wonder how on earth they can
work at their desk when everything that was in
their drawers and in their filing cabinets have
ended up in piles on top of their keyboard. One
co-worker of mine couldn't remember what colour
the top of his desk was! I had to say something,
but when I did, he told me that he knew where
everything was and needed all that paperwork for
different projects he was working on.
Some
study suggest that about 15% of our time is
wasted on looking for misplaced files and paperwork
at the office. People get really defensive
when you tell them that their desk is a mess.
They say that they don't have time to clean up,
as they are too busy. And if they would file certain
items they would forget to work on it and would
therefore miss the deadline.
Let
me tell you a secret: You can't work on four projects
at once with a messy desk. You will misplace papers
in wrong folders, spend 15 minutes looking for
that form that you had right there, look for an
important message that was in that folder but
no longer is, etc. You will not be able to continue
working like this without a major mistake happening.
Getting
organised
It may take you all day to clean your desk but
believe me when I say that it will save your sanity!
First
things first. Get yourself some folders and a
black marker. Take every piece of paper on your
desk one by one and file them. Make sure that
everything you need to do with these papers is
written down on a 'to-do'
list or even better in your computer
organiser. For example, if you
have to work on your budget next Monday, write
down 'work on budget' in your computer organiser
so that when Monday comes, your computer will
send you a reminder that you need to work on your
budget today. Then file that paper in a folder
named 'budget'. Put that folder away - not on
your desk!! But in your filing cabinet. Proceed
this way with every bit of information that clutters
your desk. Do not get distracted by a form
that reminds you that you need to do something.
Instead, jot it down on your 'to- do' list
or in your organiser. You won't forget it as it
has been written down. File it and move on. Keep
focused. Only do one thing at a time for the moment
and that is to organise and clean your desk.
If
you would like more information about this subject
and managing your time more effectively
click on this link www.effectivetimemanagement.com
