Clean desk?

With the right system, order in the workplace is no problem!

Experience teaches it, bosses demand it and numerous studies prove it more or less clearly: the workplace should be tidied up at regular intervals. Adherents of the theory that a certain amount of tidiness on a desk is definitely conducive to creativity are not wrong. However, it is also true that above a certain level of chaos, productivity at the workplace is severely inhibited. So from time to time, even the most beautiful creative disorder must give way to a well-considered order. When it comes to the topic of "a little desk cleaning", experts advise a well-thought-out, sweeping action.

It is fun to start the next working day relaxed and tidy at the workplace. No question about it. But what do you think about starting each day of your life relaxed, balanced and harmonious?

The four-field system for quick success

One thing right away: a little tidying up does not bring order to the workplace and at best only postpones the problem. Besides, a clean corner does not make a sensibly tidy workplace. Even the worst desk cleaning won't take longer than three hours if you concentrate on a specific task. The best friend and helper is the floor in front of the desk - that's why it's advisable to vacuum the floor around the work surface first. Then the entire desk, its drawers, base cabinets and work surface should be completely cleared out or cleared away. However, it is of little use to have all one's belongings in one hand and then put them back where they were.

A four-field system helps sort and discard. The floor around the workplace is divided into four imaginary fields, each of which is given a meaning: "Waste", "Forwarding", "Important" and "Acute". In this way, every item - from a single Post-it to a pocket calculator - is consistently placed in one of these fields so that it can be put away again later in a meaningful way. Experts advise you to think about a system in advance, whether from left to right or from outside to inside - it doesn't matter. The main thing is that each sheet of paper, each pen, each file and each folder is removed from the workstation individually and only picked up once. There are no intermediate heaps, that only costs time. "Waste" is self-explanatory. "Forwarding" collects everything that can be delegated or has to be taken somewhere else, for example to the archive, back to the library or to the bookshelf.

Things that need to be put back in the drawer or on the desk and dealt with immediately after a little desk cleaning go into the "Important" plan square for tidying up the workplace. If you like, you can take advantage of the fact that you have already thought about the topic in question and write down the next step on a Post-it and stick it on. This saves a bit of time for further work, but be careful: don't overthink it, just one or two keywords and no elaborate novels. "Acute" collects things that can be done either immediately or right after the tidying action and take less than a few minutes: stamp, sign and forward a letter, make an appointment or reschedule a meeting, for example.

So here we go: The receipt for gummy bears and cough drops? Rubbish! The cough drops themselves? If they are still edible: Pass them on - i.e. take them home. If they have a dull coating or smell funny: take them to the receipt. A biro that no longer works and for which you wanted to look for a new refill: Waste. The folder with ideas for new projects: Stick a Post-it on it, write "Clean out!" on it and put it in the "Important" field. A file on which the "Urgent" Post-it already looks a little crispy? Read it across and either forward it, i.e. delegate it, or put it in the important field.

Once the desk surface has been completely cleared, the drawers cleared out and the filing cabinet free of old debris, the next step is the cleaning cabinet: all surfaces are wiped, the computer, keyboard and printer dusted and the drawers vacuumed. The first thing to go is to put the items that are needed every day back in their place. That's right: their place. And what doesn't have a place gets assigned one or is questioned briefly but fiercely: Do I really need two different-sized hole punches, three rulers, an estimated 25 pens and two pen cups for work? The superfluous items go back into the depot or, depending on their condition, into the trash.

After that, erasers, a maximum of five pencils and as many ballpoint pens or fineliners are assigned their place in the top desk drawer, the notepad moves next to the telephone and the unread mail goes into a small basket that previously served as a surprise egg figurine dump, paper clip dump and greeting card interim storage and whose contents have pretty much completely migrated into the "waste" field. In short: the desk is sorted according to old logic, but also according to current needs - so there is less time for the cumbersome search on the line at work. The rubbish bin goes to the bin and the things that are in the "forward" square go to the place or person they need to go to. Done? Clean? Congratulations, mission accomplished.

THE EIGHT-POINT SYSTEM FOR LASTING ORDER

It is a well-known fact that chaos in the workplace does not arise of its own accord, but it does multiply to a considerable extent. The one unrinsed coffee mug quickly becomes two or three - and where the fourth one came from is really anyone's guess. That one printout, which one should have spent a lot of time reading and making something out of, has long since grown into a pile of documents with similar content. And the drawer in which things are stored that you could certainly need again sometime, but which you have never needed again, will soon be bursting at the seams.

So even if you're a tidy person, it's a good idea to add two dates a year to your calendar: "Little desk cleaning". Since the Christmas season tends to be stressful and January more casual, January and June are a good choice - tackled in a six-month rhythm, the action doesn't take so much time either.

The following eight points should nevertheless be taken to heart throughout the year.

  1. Put things back: Let things live in their place and put them back after use.

  2. Throw them away: Use the bin immediately.

  3. Take notes: A large notepad instead of many small notes that can wonderfully disappear makes work easier when telephone numbers need to go into the address book in the evening and appointments need to go quickly into the right calendar.

  4. Structure: The same filing system on the computer as on the desk and the same structure for both physical and digital folders helps to keep things permanently in order at the workplace and to find things quickly.

  5. Hierarchical filing: put the most urgent things on top, and the least urgent things at the bottom.

  6. Keep cables in check: sort out the strands and keep the cable salad in boxes.

  7. Consider range: Store things that are often needed close by, things that are rarely used further away.

  8. Tidy up in the evening: If you tidy your desk every evening, you will start the next working day more relaxed.

Why should I keep the office tidy?

You should keep your office tidy because you want to. However, you often find that you lack the motivation. There are two good reasons why you should tidy up.

  1. The workplace reflects your inner life and tells your work environment what personality type you are.

  2. Bosses love neatly tidied offices and workspaces. Psychologist Cary Cooper's survey found that four out of five managers choose employees who have a tidy desk.

The office serves as a projection screen: many people associate an untidy secretary with an unstable personality. We know it's nonsense to pigeonhole colleagues. But we spend a lot of time at work and cannot avoid personalising our workplace. A plant or two, pictures of the family, chocolate or the favourite book for the lunch break. Unconsciously, you reveal a lot about yourself to your work environment. Colleagues know how you work, know your preferences and from your status symbols they assess whether you use your elbows to get to the top.

Creating order in the workplace makes sense. You have a great influence on how you want to be seen by those around you.

How do I create order in the office?

The quickest and simplest variant: Get a spacious cardboard box. Sweep everything that is lying around into it. Wipe down all the office furniture with a damp cloth. First take all the important things out of the box and assign them a place. Then you move on to the rest. Dispose of the things you no longer need without batting an eyelid. Et voilà: a tidy desk! Order at the workplace! Order in the office!

Does tidiness at the workplace promote concentration?

A resounding yes. After giving your workplace a thorough cleaning, you can face the demands of everyday work in a more conscious and focused way. You avoid inner stress and save the most important resource in your life: Time.

Conclusion

Creating order in the workplace can be great fun once you understand that you are pulling all the strings. You influence how you are perceived and what skills are attributed to you. You gain improved concentration and time. You gain quality of life. Does this convince you?

USEFUL ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR OFFICE

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