How to (almost) instantly improve your office
What do you see when you walk into your office space? Do you immediately see what you haven’t finished? The incomplete projects, the paper or book clutter, the filing just waiting for you?
It’s tough to see what you’ve already accomplished, isn’t it? We focus a lot on what isn’t done instead of what already is. And that can lead to frustration. Impatience. Because you’re so busy thinking about what you didn’t do yet, you berate yourself for not getting enough done.
Get out of that mindset. Don’t forget to stop and congratulate yourself for what you’ve already accomplished. And then find a couple of small things that you can do quickly to improve your outlook.
One of the first things you can do is take 10 minutes to clear out some mail. Or organize the top of your desk. Or clear any other flat surfaces. What do you see when you first walk in? What bugs you the most? Tackle that. If you can even create one small clear space that you can look at every time you enter your office, it will help.
When you have one space that is neat and clear, you have a space that can remind you that you can get things done, that you can make progress, and that you will finish the rest of your projects. Maybe not in one day, or even one week. But you can do it.
So I cleared the part of my desk that I see as soon as I enter the room. I cleared the clutter, put a few things that I grab frequently in a basket, recycled the excess papers, put away miscellaneous books, and suddenly I have a spot that looks great and brings me a sense of accomplishment. And even a little bit of happiness from a finished task. It instantly improves my office and my outlook.
We could all use a little bit of that, can’t we?
3 Comments
Could I just sneak all of it into the recycle bin?
Don’t you have a recycling bin in your office?
And remember, you do get a LOT done. It’s just sometimes hard to see the results, especially when you’re just shuffling a lot of paper around.
[...] Take a look at your office. Define the purpose of the space. Everything that does not fit that space needs to go. It does not belong there. Create zones in the office to help increase your efficiency. Try to keep your horizontal spaces as clear as possible. And notice how a clean desk does wonders for making your office feel calmer and more efficient. [...]