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Don’t forget the biggest thing you lose from a cluttered, messy desk or office — respect. It may not be said openly, but your value to your boss is being judged daily by a number of things, many of which are directly reflected in your workspace: speed, safety, accuracy, security, image, cost of replacements and repairs, cost of the space you occupy, cleaning costs, confusion, tension and distraction.
- Anything miniature
- Empty containers
- Duplicates of tools
- Unnecessary photocopies
- That “to read someday” pile
- Parts to something long gone, old calendars, old or unused appointment books
- Anything misprinted, or with obsolete addresses on it
- Seminar sludge, convention freebies
- Nonfunctional/defective writing instruments
- Obsolete or unused equipment
- Keys you can’t identify or to places or things you no longer own
- Pieces of broken office furniture
- Outdated references
- Neat things that you never use (and may not even know how to)
- Wrong place clutter
- Rough drafts, (old pages of indecipherable notes, sketches and etchings)
- Snitched, borrowed and never-got-around-to-returning-it stuff
- Anything soiled or spoiled
Commandments of Office Uncluttering
- Thou shalt not cover usable space with clutter.
- Thou shalt sort all papers that come into thine hands immediately.
- Thou shalt discard all old magazines regularly.
- Thou shalt not pile or stack … on desks, tables, floors, file cabinets or anywhere.
- Thou shalt not keep more than three copies of anything.
The Office Care Kit
- A couple of microfiber or terry cleaning cloths
- Disposable treated dustcloths
- A spray bottle filled with a mild all-purpose cleaner
- Disposable, premoistened towelettes
- Minivacuum and attachments
A whole bunch of things will happen when you come clean: You’ll feel good. You’ll feel a secret surge of confidence. You’ll welcome new experiences and opportunities. You’ll have room to grow. You’ll save all those apologies. We, the janitors, will love you forever!
Excerpted, adapted and condensed from Office Clutter Cure (c) 2005, Don Aslett. Used by permission of Marsh Creek Press. All rights reserved.
Office Clutter Cure: Created on April 20th, 2006. Last Modified on January 21st, 2014
