5 Items to Remove From Your Desktop

   

Flat surfaces seem to be magnets for piles of miscellaneous items.  Kitchen tables, tops of dressers, that chair in the foyer, and even your desk (!) can accrue "stuff" that really doesn't belong there.  Since it's my mission to help people organize their office spaces, here are 5 simple suggestions to help you get started on yours.
Begin by removing unnecessary items from your desktop, such as:

1. Things you do not use on a daily basis.  Keep the phone, computer, planner, stapler, a couple of pens, etc. but remove the rest.
2. Junk mail.  If you're not in the habit of sorting through your mail on the day you receive it, then get in the habit!  Immediately throw away any ads, coupons, credit card offers you know you won't use.
3. Outdated materials.  This includes notes from seminars or meetings, old brochures, ancient business cards, etc.  Anything with an expiration date that's passed, throw it out!
4. Knick-knacks and other companies' promotional items.  I know, you need the stress ball with your insurance agent's logo on it, but do you really need 6 of them?  I think not.  The ceramic angel you don't want to get rid of because your co-worker gave it to you 2 Christmases ago--remove it from your desktop!  You probably don't even like angels.
5. And finally, trash.  So obvious, I know, but I wouldn't have this on the list if it wasn't happening.  Don't leave empty candy and snack wrappers on your desk.  Throw away the mostly empty Starbucks cup from last week.  Same goes for any half-eaten food (ick.).  Throw the trash away.

Take a moment to really look at your desktop now.  Are there any of the items from the list on it?  A cleared off desktop is a wonderful thing!  There will be less to distract you so you can focus on doing your best at work.  Short on time?  Tackle one of these a day and you'll have a "new" desk in only 5 days!  Get started, and good luck.

Want to Increase Productivity? Leave Your Office!

 
Have you ever noticed that offices can be distracting places?  Kind of like the hospital--just when you get relaxed and are about to drift off to sleep, someone barges in and you have to start all over again.  Most offices are teeming with interruptions just waiting to happen: co-workers who stop by for "a minute" to chat, ringing phones, it's too chilly (or hot) which makes it hard to focus, worrying about those piles of papers that are lurking in your peripheral vision, hearing the details of your co worker's cousin's (boring) wedding...distracting! 
I work from a home office when I'm not in somebody else's office helping them get better organized.  My office is in a separate room in the lower level of my house, and while I don't have any motor-mouth co-workers popping by, there are still distractions I have become disciplined to work around.  But for those times when I succumb to interrupting what I'm working on to go throw that load of laundry into the dryer, I've found that going to a coffee shop or bookstore to work actually works remarkably well.  Although there are people and noise in these places, I'm able to have laser-like focus and I wind up being highly productive!  Then I can go home and not feel as guilty about taking care of some household duties during my workday.  If you occasionally struggle with inefficiency at work, go work off site for a couple of hours.  A change of scenery is good for you--and your productivity!