I’ll admit it. I’m a messy desk person. I always laughed at people that told me I really didn’t know where everything was. I was proud to prove them wrong by finding that wayward piece of paper easily.
I had a small poster proudly mounted above my desk that read: A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind! I was not ashamed of my desk.
Then it got out of control. Seriously out of control.
Don’t be Proud of a Messy Desk
We were very busy and at the start of each day I would sigh as I looked at my desk and say, today’s the day I’ll get this organized. And the day would end in a rush and it wouldn’t get done.
Then one late afternoon (after 5pm) I received a call from the Super Bowl Host Committee and all that changed. I live in Miami and next year we are hosting the Super Bowl. They have a program to help local businesses get business from the Super Bowl sponsors and visitors.
I was an approved Super Bowl vendor in 2010 and am again in 2020. They wanted to come to the office and interview me about my experience for their Business Connect program to use in promo videos and on social media. I was, of course, elated until I looked around the office.
Have a Place for Everything
Because my desk influenced the rest of the office the whole office was a disaster. We had become lazy about putting samples and catalogs away. The conference room table didn’t look like a conference room at all being so covered in products. And boxes were piled everywhere with old samples waiting to be donated, shirts waiting to be folded and put away and even an order that needed to be returned to the manufacturer.
Luckily this was a Thursday evening and they wanted to come over on Monday morning with the film crew.
I spent that evening, part of Saturday and all day Sunday cleaning the whole office. One of the reasons it took so long was I didn’t want to just shove items in draws, cabinets, and closets. I wanted it to be organized.
Don’t have a Place for Something? You Don’t Need it!
I found items that should have been thrown away years before. My desk had stacks of papers just waiting to be filed and old journals that I thought I might need to reference sitting in a pile. I was determined that everything would find a new home. No more endless piles all over the place.
When the Super Bowl crew arrived on Monday morning I was proud to show off our office. And they filmed a lot of it. Not just me at my desk, but our conference room, our awards and more. Who knows what they will use but at least it was presentable. Something it hadn’t been in a long time. I had always made excuses for the mess. No more.
One of our team also has messy desk tendencies and she was on vacation when all this occurred. When she came back a week later she was in shock. And I told her, “it’s going to stay like this”. Her next question was where do I put everything when I come back from meetings? Away I said. And her response was “I guess I will leave more things in my car.” Fine by me. I now realize my old thinking was just that, old thinking.
Less Clutter Equals More Productivity
The “experts” have said for years that you are more productive working in a less cluttered environment. I didn’t believe them. But since I’ve organized our space I feel I’ve been more productive. I’ve gone back to time blocking and working my lists. And at the end of each day I take time and make sure that our space is orderly. And then I make my plan for the next day.
Now, when I come in each morning I smile about my clean office.
Work habits are definitely hard to break. Just like most any habit. We become used to doing things a certain way and most of us don’t change easily.
I’ve read many books about productivity as I am always striving to do more each day. There are several key elements that they all seem to have in common:
Create a system: what works for you. For me, finishing the day making my list for the next day and recognizing what I didn’t get done. Time blocking my day by task and leaving an open half hour twice a day for those emergencies that always come up is my renewed system.
Don’t multi-task: This is another example of what I was proud to say I could do. In reading all the reasons why not, I’m trying desperately trying to break this habit. Focusing on the task at hand increases my productivity.
Eliminate distractions: Another area for me to improve upon. I would allow my team to interrupt me when they needed me. Not any longer. Now they have time blocks where I am open to questions and issues. Of course, there are emergencies where you have to drop everything, but I am not the constant open door I once was.
Ignore your Email: Now this one is tough, but it’s true. Most people aren’t looking for an instant response so when I working on quotes, RFP’s or with one of the team, I’m not also checking emails. When I’m finished with a time block, I check and respond. And it’s working.
So those are just a few of the new habits that I’ve been incorporating into my newly organized self. And so far it’s working. I’m glad I started it in July. It’s not as insanely business right now so I can get used to working in my new style so I can stay disciplined when our fall rush begins.
Maybe the challenge will work for you too!
Danette Gossett is the founder of Gossett Marketing, co-founder of Promotions Rescource LLC and co-author of the best-selling book “Transform” with Brian Tracy. Danette utilizes her more than 30 years of advertising agency and corporate marketing experience to develop effective promotional campaigns and products for her clients. Visit GossettMktg.com or SalesPromo.org and follow us on twitter @MarketngTidbits.