One of the great time management tools is to work from a clean desk and in an organized work space. Just as an excellent chef cleans up the kitchen before and after cooking, you should organize your work space completely before you begin your work. One of the most successful entrepreneurs in recent history said that the key to his success was to “always work from a clean desk.”
Peter Drucker observed that effective executives always have a clean desk. Everything except the one thing that they are working on at the moment has been removed and put away, which is why they are able to focus with greater clarity and get more done, of higher quality, in a shorter period of time.
Put all of your documents away in the appropriate files, both physical and online. Deal only with your current task. Try to have only one item in front of you whenever possible.
The top professionals in every field keep a tidy and highly ordered work space at all times. Think of a carpenter, dentist, or doctor. They clean up and reorganize as they go through their day.
Get organized and stay organized. Make sure your office supplies and materials are fully stocked and available at hand. You will find that nothing is more destructive to efficiency and effectiveness than having to start a job and then stop, and then start again, for lack of proper preparation or supplies.
Many people believe that they work more effectively in a messy work environment with a cluttered desk. Yet every study that has been done with people shows that when they are forced to clean up their work environment so that they have only one task in front of them, their productivity doubles and triples, usually overnight.
People who work with cluttered desks are found to spend an enormous amount of each working day looking for the materials they need among the clutter around them. Psychologically, the sight of a cluttered desk or office provides subconscious feedback that reinforces your perception that you are disorganized. It leads to continuous distraction as your eyes and your attention dart from item to item, and back again.