Tidy Desk Intention

My desk, my browser windows overflowing with open tabs ... Too much clutter. Next week we’re rolling out practice management software (finally). Now is the time: Everything gets cleaned and kept clean. Minimal. Spaces used for working, for doing, not cluttered as unintentional storage.

From Spring Cleaning: 7 Things in the Office That Need to Go!, the what:

  • Digital Clutter: Doing okay with this. I only keep currently active files on my workstation / laptop, sync handled by NextCloud. I back up regularly to our server, and archive old files to the server as well. When we move to a cloud-based solution, this will be even more clean.
  • Desk Clutter: This. OMG so much this. “Your desk should be a workspace, not a storage space. Clear off your desk, and only keep the essentials within reach. At the end of every day, try to clear off everything but the one or two tasks you plan to focus on first thing in the morning.”
  • Unhelpful Alerts: I already have most notifications turned off, and have email polling every hour.
  • Old Files: I’m scanning and shredding, or just shredding, with extreme prejudice, at my home office. I don’t allow old files to accumulate in my office office, though I do have a couple of smallish stacks of paper I need to go through, and a larger one I need to shred.
  • Unused Supplies: At the office office, not a factor really, but at home ... Yeah. I have boxes of paperclips. I’ve used, what, ten paperclips in the past 5+ years? Time to toss.
  • Unused Tech: I’ve been doing this. I dropped off a huge (30L?) plastic container full of old, redundant, obsolete, etc., cables, at UCLA’s eWaste recycling center.
  • Unnecessary furniture: This. I just tore apart a still intact, but delaminating and ugly and uncomfortable, desk chair I’ve probably had 16 years? I need to invest, as suggested, in “bookshelves or storage cabinets that are tall (using vertical space).” 

The why? Aside from mental clarity and serenity... Per the above article:

  • The average employee wastes at least 2 hours per day (or 25% of the work week) searching for documents and information they need to do their jobs.
  • An unorganized, chaotic, and cluttered office costs businesses an estimated $2.5 million a year and significantly decreases worker efficiency.
  • By keeping your office clean and organized, you can improve workflows, boost productivity, and create a more comfortable and efficient work environment.

The how:

  • Schedule regular cleaning sessions. Set aside time each week or month to clean and organize your office - keep clutter at bay!
  • Create a system for incoming paperwork. (Practice management...)
  • Set up an efficient filing and document management system. (Practice management...)
  • Give everything a “home.” (Practice management; storage for physical items...)
  • Make the most of technology. (Practice management...)

 “This isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. Getting organized and efficient requires ongoing effort.”

A cluttered desk makes for a poor workspace. Before picture.
A cluttered desk makes for a poor workspace. Before picture.


A tidy desk at the end of the week, with a stack of work for Monday.
A tidy desk at the end of the week, with a stack of work for Monday.
 

My office at the moment has minimal furniture:

I’ve scrubbed my desk clean before. I’m going to do it again. Today. And keep it that way. We’re going to roll out practice management software (we’ve been looking at Smokeball, CASEpeer, and FileVine; I tried Clio before...). Everything’s going to be ... Clean. Organized. Easy.

My Vader board, Tokyo60 with Kailh Box Navy switches
My Vader board, Tokyo60 with Kailh Box Navy switches

The desk, in fall of 2016, in its infancy:







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