Change is The Winning Game
by Sheila G. McCurdy
Certified Professional Organizer, CPO®
Do you feel bogged down and chained to your desk? Does your desk bring forth the “fight or flight” response? Does everyone call your office, “the black hole?” Or, do you just generally feel uncomfortable when you’re at your desk trying to work?
Sit at your desk. Where is your computer? Where is your phone? Where is the paper to write on and the pen and pencil to write with? If you’re right-handed and your computer is on your left, then that means, in all probability, that your phone is on the right and you pick up the receiver with your left hand and bring it to your left ear. This also means that the cord from the phone is crossing your chest when you’re facing your computer. If you’re left-handed then you have the problem of having to turn away from the computer in order to write anything on a pad of paper, forcing you to move to the right rather than the natural inclination of moving to the left.
There are things you can do to alleviate your daily nightmares. Try some of the following suggestions on for size and you might find relief at last.
Clear your desk of everything. Place the computer to your right or left so that you can answer your phone without reaching across the computer. If you place the computer in the center of your desk then think of how you answer the phone. If you listen with your left ear, then place the phone on the left side of the computer. If you’re right-handed, then place the pad of paper on the right as well as the pen and pencil and maybe your calculator. If you use a pencil cup then only put in it what you always use. If you don’t know, then leave it empty and when the need arises for a pen, pencil or marker place it into the cup. Avoid jamming every pen you own into the cup. You will notice after a few days that you really did not need all the pens and pencils that were crammed into the cup.
Keep your desk as clear as possible. If you’re working on a file and you’re interrupted to look into another file, CLOSE the first one. NEVER put a file on top of one that is already open because it’s too easy for papers to transfer to another file. If you’re afraid you won’t remember where you were in the file, put a sticky note on the page, sticking out beyond the file so you can see it. Having a clear desk will make working easier, if not pleasant.
If you categorize your files it will be easier to file. No time to file? Write on the corner of the paper where you want to file it. That way, when you’re on the phone just talking casually, you can pick up a paper and file it without having to re-read it. Try earnestly to file two to three times a week.
If you want to feel more mentally alert and emotionally strong try to segment your work into two-hour blocks. This is better than picking “a day to get the ABC project done.” Two hours of work on a project is better than none. And in a week you can move forward on ALL your projects instead of trying to pick the one that rates an “A” on the priority list.
These techniques may take you a number of days (generally 21) to become comfortable with them. Don’t try something for just a day or two and then decide it won’t work. Give yourself time to get comfortable with the change before you decide a change isn’t working.
©2011 Sheila McCurdy & clutter STOP