What to Keep on Your Desk
Just because your desk is a horizontal surface doesn’t mean it is the best place to store your piles. After awhile the motivational items, extra supplies, eternally future projects and personal knick-knacks are going to interfere with your efficiency.
The more time you spend shuffling and rearranging the stuff on your desk just looking for a pen, the less time you have to do the work. So the work overflows into your fun time and that’s not right.
If you want enough room to work you have to have a plan for what to keep on your desk. Keep too much on the desk and you can’t clear enough surface to write a thank you note. Keep to little on the desk and you have to constantly get up to get the thing you need to get the next task done.
Three things can help you set up an efficient work space that will also inspire you to do great work.
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Roles – What are your responsibilities in regards to your work? Knowing what roles you fill will help you decide what to keep.
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Tasks – What specific work tasks are required for those roles? How often do these tasks happen? Keep the work space current and create systems and routines for less frequent tasks.
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Supplies – What items do you need to complete the tasks? Keep the minimal amount on the desk and set up a central supply area elsewhere for replenishing.
Start by clearing the desk and only return the items that help you fulfill your tasks. Keep inspirational items functional – a beautiful pen holder, colorful folders etc. Limit the personal items to a professional quantity.
Try clearing your desk today and let me know how it goes.
Tags: office supplies, organizing, Simplifying, streamling, workflow, workspace
