Keeping your workplace tidy is a prerequisite
to staying focused, working efficiently and finding the relevant files
instantly. Simply keeping your desk tidy is hardly a remedy for
procrastination; but it will still be a first important step in the right
direction.
1st
step:
Keep the most important work equipment close by
You should arrange your pens, calendar, paper and other tools which you need
frequently, so that they are always close at hand. The best solution is to
place on your desk only what you need the most or what you are currently
working on. You can leave the rest in the drawers of your desk. Another
advantage: You have more work space and don’t have to make more room all the
time.
2nd step:
Make use of gadgets
Use pin boards, in-trays or follow-up files according to your needs in order to
bring a certain structure to each of your operations. You may sort these
according to specific topics, for example meetings, prices, and telephone
numbers.
3rd step:
Keep your pile under control
Very often you cannot stop piles of documents from building up on your
desk. But don’t let them grow to impenetrable heaps. After all, clear and
well-arranged piles make your life easier and provide you with an overview of
the situation. Heaps, on the other hand, make your work more difficult and
don’t make you look good.
4th
step:
Follow tidiness rules
Develop your own rules of tidiness if there aren’t any which are generally
valid within your company. It might be helpful to start by observing your own
working procedures and regular step sequences, and then organize your own
tidying method accordingly.
5th
step:
Try to deal with small things first
Always check new tasks to see if you might be able to handle them straight away
with relatively little effort. So you can efficiently clear them of your desk –
and your mind!
6th
step:
Clear out regularly
In a few quick steps you can bring order to your desk at the end of a day’s
work: this will give you an overview and a good feeling before going home for
the day. Indeed, you won’t be greeted by a huge chaos the next day, but a clear
and tidy workplace will be waiting for you, ready for new tasks. Alternatively,
you can also take care of this at the end of the week or at the end of the
month. You will soon discover that keeping order not only relieves your desk,
but you as well.
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