71 - Keeping your desk clean at home and at work is imperative if you want to stay focused

    Are their days…even weeks you find that you can’t focus or be creative?  Look around. What does your environment look like?  At school, I noticed that if I had three piles of papers or files on my desk or behind me, I had difficulty concentrating.  Finally, I’d become so frustrated that I’d stay after school for a couple of hours and go through all the crap. I’d return the xeroxes and files to the file cabinets or throw the material that I knew I didn’t need in the trash.  (It’s amazing how many files I'd pull when I taught four different subjects a day.)

   The same occurs at home when my cabinets are disorganized I have difficulty finding the stories that I’m working on. Or if my desk has a couple piles on it, (never as high as the ones that used to be at school, I have difficulty organizing my day or writing well, so I stop everything and get organized.

   I can’t tell you what a difference it is to have my environment clean and how much it helps with the clarity of my brain. WOW!  Luckily, I keep the house clean, and since I’m married to an architect, I’ve learned that the visual picture is important, not that I was ever the super messy one, but do't ask my hubbie.

  Think about it. If you are a professional, what does an untidy desk project?  If your desk has dirty tea cups, mountains of clutter and scraps of food scattered around, what does that portray to your clients or to your children?   To a family member you might look unorganized, not focused, but to a client, maybe incompetent. (Look at your office or desk from someone else’s point of view.)  

   When you have piles of papers, invoices or files scattered around you, you feel overwhelmed, scattered and confused, unsure what is, priority. A lot of time is wasted on where to start. Also, there might be time sensitive material lost in the pile or papers.

   Filing things or placing a few papers/files in a container on your desk make you look professional and organized. If you have an office, maybe set up an Inbox and an Outbox. This will help with documents not disappearing. Also, having a drawer organizer will help keep some of those things off your desk such as paper clips, calendar, notebooks, change, etc. And the frustration of having to look for things is minimized tremendously.  Also, the possibility of handling something late is gone.

    Throw away material in the recycling bin if you know you don’t need it. If you’re worried that you might need it later, scan it into your computer.

    Every Friday, if you’re super busy during the week, organize your desk, or if you’re not busy (I’m retired now) do it once a month. Make the time as I promise you it will help you stay calm, and focused. It will also reinforce the fact that you are a professional, and it will promote a creative mind. And if you are a parent, teach your children the importance of keeping their desk clean also. This will be something they will thank you for later in their life.