First, a reminder… Don’t forget to organize all your “D” files today (as described in the Alphabet Strategy post a few days ago).   Now on to our next letter…

Dec 4.  “D” is for Desk

Your desk (or work area) can be a critical factor in how productive you are.  And getting 10, 50% or 100% more out of every hour is possible with the right habits and environment.  Here are several keys to a desk that will help you maximize what you get done. 

I find that by thinking of my desk as a “Cockpit” it enables me to have the right mental picture of the work space.  The pilot of a Space Shuttle doesn’t have to move to access the entire controls for the shuttle.  The closer that you can come to that the better.

1.      Have a Catchall near the entry to your office area where you can place wallet, keys, cellphone, voice recorder, camera, and other stuff from your pockets.  I use an antique wooden tray I bought for the purpose on eBay that is inscribed with the word “Simplify”.  This is a great habit and will help you always know where your stuff is.  (This is a great thing to buy someone as a gift for their house or office as well)…

2.     You should have an Inbox preferably on one side of your work area.  This is where you put anything that needs to be “processed”.  Mail, faxes, things in your briefcase when you get back from a trip… The Inbox is something that you will go through once or twice a day to move things to their proper destination. 

3.     You should have an Outbox on the opposite side of your desk from the inbox.  Work flows across your desk and into the Outbox which is where things go that need to be mailed, faxed, or filed.

4.     I also have a “To Be Filed” basket where I put things that need to be filed at some point that is not time sensitive.

5.     I have a large basket under my desk where I throw all magazines, newsletters and Internet printouts of things I want to read.  I save these up for plane trips and put a big stack in my bag to read and discard as I travel.

6.     Your desk area should be relatively free of clutter.  If you find yourself with a bunch of random stuff strewn about the desk, these distractions sap your energy.  Try to put things away and keep at least a reasonable sized work are free to work without distraction.

7.     Keep necessary things close by (pens, pencils, reference books, highlighters, post-its,…) whatever tools and items you need should be at arms length.

8.     Invest in a comfortable desk chair.  Even $1000 is a good investment considering how much time you spend there.  Just make sure that it is comfortable and provides back support.

9.     Organize all of your chargers so that you are not having to always fight with getting to them.

10.  Turn off your email and Internet access unless you are doing something that requires it.

I reserve the right to extend these comments at a later date. 

Tomorrow, we will move to “E” and we will be discussing “E-Mail”…