There are times when our lofty goals and reality do not match up. Have you ever suddenly looked at your desk (and the mess thereon) and shuddered? Did you then stop what you were doing, distracted as you were, and proceed to clear away the non-essentials in the hope of not simply clearing your desk, but clearing your mind? Do you relate to the correlation between clearing the physical clutter from your office with clearing the mental clutter in your mind and thereby increasing your productivity? Been there. Done that.
The perfectionist in me yearns for a clean, uncluttered desk. A clean, cleared desk exudes a calmness and peace that must be conducive to productivity, right? The distractions are gone. One can dig right in and work. But life gets in the way... .
Here's my life as a secretary/receptionist. My desk will look great. The files are put away, the phone message pad is laying nicely on the side, a notepad is ready for longer directives. My large wide screen monitor sits in front of me. I'll be editing a letter on part of the screen; my e-mail and "To Do" list open on another part of the screen. Things look so under control, so clean, so uncluttered.
And then the phone rings... . Jotting down the message, I turn back to edit the letter -- but don't quite get there before the phone rings again. I head to the file cabinet to pull out a file in order to answer the question at hand. Someone enters the office as I'm finishing up the call. The file gets dropped on my desk while I go to help the person make some photocopies. While helping them, someone else comes into the office needing copies of a form. Heading back to the file cabinet I locate the necessary file, pull out the form, and make the copies. I'm barely through photocopying those when I need to excuse myself at the sound of the phone ringing yet again. I take another message... . Hanging up the phone I suddenly realize I am alone once again in a quiet office, but my once cleared desk is no longer clear.
Lofty goals of a cleared desk and reality don't always line up...at least not in my world. Accepting the fact that at various times throughout the day my desk will be a messy desk is a necessary compromise, knowing that whenever possible I will take the time to clear it. And of course, by closing time, I will consistently clean and clear my desk.
The perfectionist in me yearns for a clean, uncluttered desk. A clean, cleared desk exudes a calmness and peace that must be conducive to productivity, right? The distractions are gone. One can dig right in and work. But life gets in the way... .
Here's my life as a secretary/receptionist. My desk will look great. The files are put away, the phone message pad is laying nicely on the side, a notepad is ready for longer directives. My large wide screen monitor sits in front of me. I'll be editing a letter on part of the screen; my e-mail and "To Do" list open on another part of the screen. Things look so under control, so clean, so uncluttered.
And then the phone rings... . Jotting down the message, I turn back to edit the letter -- but don't quite get there before the phone rings again. I head to the file cabinet to pull out a file in order to answer the question at hand. Someone enters the office as I'm finishing up the call. The file gets dropped on my desk while I go to help the person make some photocopies. While helping them, someone else comes into the office needing copies of a form. Heading back to the file cabinet I locate the necessary file, pull out the form, and make the copies. I'm barely through photocopying those when I need to excuse myself at the sound of the phone ringing yet again. I take another message... . Hanging up the phone I suddenly realize I am alone once again in a quiet office, but my once cleared desk is no longer clear.
Lofty goals of a cleared desk and reality don't always line up...at least not in my world. Accepting the fact that at various times throughout the day my desk will be a messy desk is a necessary compromise, knowing that whenever possible I will take the time to clear it. And of course, by closing time, I will consistently clean and clear my desk.
