How can you make your work
area more attractive so that you enjoy being there and can focus specifically on
the work at hand? The more clutter you eliminate, the more peaceful the setting
will be, and therefore the more productive your time will be.

 

Photos.
 You may consider a photo of loved ones as a pleasant reminder of why you work
so hard, or as a conversation-starter to get acquainted with new clients.
However, photos can quickly accumulate, lining windowsills and shelves, tacked
to walls, and taking up valuable desk space. These photos have accumulated over
the years, as new ones are added without replacing the older ones. If you like
photos, keep just one or two current ones.

 

Giveaways
How often do you take something from a vendor's display table just because it is
free? Then you drop it on your desk. How many stress balls or letter openers do
you need? When you have too many, they go into the drawers, onto the
windowsills, etc. More than one has no useful purpose.

 

Memorabilia. 
Do you really need the little Eiffel Tower from Las Vegas, or the Florida
seashell? Sometimes these end up in the office because they do not fit into the
house décor. They can encourage chitchat as you exchange vacation stories, and
then you wonder why interruptions take up so much of the day.

 

Certificates. 
Framed degrees and licenses lend credibility to an individual when they relate
directly to the business being transacted. However, spreading around all the
certificates you gather from continuing education classes gets to be overkill.
Choose to display only the most significant documents if you're in a situation
where clients visit your workplace.

 

Books and CDs. 
Any books that are not related to your
business and that are not used as references should be moved to another area,
taken home, or donated. If you ordered a set of tapes for your business, have
listened to them, and know that you will not do so again, consider selling them
at a reduced price to someone else in the field. If you want to keep them for
reference, find a way to store and catalog them instead of leaving individual
disks strewn around.

 

Computers. 
Do you have an older printer stuck in a corner?
Box unused computer hardware and store it. Donate older computer parts and get a
tax deduction for a contribution to a local charity. What about the extra hard
drive, cables, and phone cords? One spare of each item should be enough. How
many stray CDs are laying around, and you have no idea what's on them?

 

 Artwork.  Drawings
by children and grandchildren are precious, but covering a bulletin board or the
wall of an office does not lend itself to a professional feeling. If you want to
display one or two sketches, frame and hang them. Let the others rotate on your
refrigerator.

 

Miscellaneous.
Tools laying around left over from a jobsite
or related to a small repair do not need to stay in your desk area. Look around
and see how many things are not related to the type of work you actually do in
your office. This desk area should not be the company's storage space.

 

Anything surrounding you
that is not useful, beautiful, or treasured by you, should be disposed of in
some manner because clutter is messy, inconvenient, and sometimes embarrassing.
It affects your space, your time, and your peace of mind.

 

 

About the Author:

 

Denise Landers is the
owner of Key Organization Systems (

www.keyorganization.com
). She helps companies and individuals organize
their papers, their time, and their surroundings so that everything fits and
flows smoothly. She can be reached at 281-397-0015.

 

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