Are You Ready for a Change?

Tips for More Space and Less Clutter

SCBA Newsletter
July 25, 2005

Prioritizing is difficult when mountains of paper, miscellaneous phone messages and Post-It notes, all looking and feeling equally important, surround you. Fortunately, not all files or papers have to be left out or spread out in your immediate workspace for a task to be remembered and completed.

All files, documents, slips of paper, Post-It notes and other reminders should be gathered and reviewed to determine their nature and importance. Look at the item, decide if action is necessary, and when action is needed. Activities that survive this review should be added to Outlook "Tasks" or similar program using a task name and a due date, unless other details are required. Appointments should be added to the Calendar, and names, addresses or phone numbers should be added to Contacts. Then throw away all those little slips of paper.

All papers and files that need to be kept and that have actions associated with them should be kept in a vertical sorter on your desk or nearby surface. This will help keep your workspace free from clutter and you will still have an inventory of all your tasks.

Project related reference material that will be useful someday, but has no need for immediate action, may be file away using a name you will remember. When you get to the project or task requiring the use of these reference materials, you will know where to look to find them.

Question everything else on your desk and on other furniture surfaces. There may be things there that are invisible to you now because you see them every day. If possible, remove random office supplies from the desk surface unless you use them everyday.

Consider a new approach if what you're doing today is causing you stress, a nagging sense of unease or distraction. Clutter represents un-made decisions and it only mounts when decisions continue to be postponed. Ultimately, a clutter-free desk and office can lead to sharpened focus and help you feel less distracted and overwhelmed.