A couple of days ago at work, I started gearing up for a two-week vacation that is coming up at the end of August. I figured it would take me about two weeks to get rid of a few niggling (and time-consuming) things that I've been putting off doing and which have slowly been piling up. Not so much work-related things (although there IS enough of that to keep me busy too!) but just little papers I never filed, notes I took at meetings and never put away, clutter I allowed to build up (okay, six empty water bottles is too many ... and how many used post-it notes can one person produce??), and general organizing, filing, and getting rid of waste and inefficiency.
So the last few days I've been setting a little time aside to 'clear the decks.' I don't want to leave anything behind, sitting, waiting for my return, when it could be done before I leave.
Two weeks doesn't sound like a long time but it can mean the world of difference for someone waiting for a decision I could make, that may bring them some much-needed cash. So one of my goals is to finish every file that is still sitting on my desk, and then only bring one file at a time to my desk after that. Another is to be able to see at least half of my non-computer-related desk surface.
I've made some changes to how I do things which have improved my ability to find what I want when I want it.
The whole time I have been doing these things, I've felt guilty for "not working" ... until I reminded myself that by taking this extra time to streamline my work station and to make things easily accessible (and get rid of the non-essentials) I'm actually going to be able to work faster and better in the long run.
And it's starting to pay off.
Don't get me wrong. I'm never going to be the kind of person who has absolutely NO clutter on her desk ... or in her house. My husband and kids will testify to that!! I've always believed that a spotlessly clean desk (or house, or garage) is a sign of a sick mind, perhaps even obsessed with control and domination. But too much disarray can also clutter the healthy mind ... and the last few weeks, I was starting to feel hemmed in! (Which, if you know me and my high tolerance of the 'slob factor', is SAYING something...)
And it seems that while the mess has been accumulating, my inner mess has as well. When I started clearing the decks ... I felt something resonate inside and the desire is growing - exponentially - to set my own spiritual house in order. Again.
Funny how that happens.
Here we go again. :D
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| Found this photo HERE |
So the last few days I've been setting a little time aside to 'clear the decks.' I don't want to leave anything behind, sitting, waiting for my return, when it could be done before I leave.
Two weeks doesn't sound like a long time but it can mean the world of difference for someone waiting for a decision I could make, that may bring them some much-needed cash. So one of my goals is to finish every file that is still sitting on my desk, and then only bring one file at a time to my desk after that. Another is to be able to see at least half of my non-computer-related desk surface.
I've made some changes to how I do things which have improved my ability to find what I want when I want it.
The whole time I have been doing these things, I've felt guilty for "not working" ... until I reminded myself that by taking this extra time to streamline my work station and to make things easily accessible (and get rid of the non-essentials) I'm actually going to be able to work faster and better in the long run.
And it's starting to pay off.
Don't get me wrong. I'm never going to be the kind of person who has absolutely NO clutter on her desk ... or in her house. My husband and kids will testify to that!! I've always believed that a spotlessly clean desk (or house, or garage) is a sign of a sick mind, perhaps even obsessed with control and domination. But too much disarray can also clutter the healthy mind ... and the last few weeks, I was starting to feel hemmed in! (Which, if you know me and my high tolerance of the 'slob factor', is SAYING something...)
And it seems that while the mess has been accumulating, my inner mess has as well. When I started clearing the decks ... I felt something resonate inside and the desire is growing - exponentially - to set my own spiritual house in order. Again.
Funny how that happens.
Here we go again. :D
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