iScrapbook

Most company will have their own internal policy to keep their employees’ office desk. They do it for two purposes. One, to ensure all company confidential documents are not left unsecured when the employees are not around. Two, to just to keep the office clean and tidy.

I am among the employees who do not have tidy desk. I find it a challenge just to keep the desk clean. Most of us tend to print reports and emails more frequent then needed. Together the numerous junk mails we receive everyday, the office desk can be very messy. No matter how hard I try to keep it clean, it’s always get cluttered by the end of the day. I even put up a sign  that say “Keep Your Desk Clean” just to remind me to be tidy.

I have to put in extra effort to keep my office desk clean. I keep a close watch for signs of a cluttered table. When I see these signs, I immediately clean up my desk.

Signs that I look out for are:-
1. Look for piles of papers on my desk and not knowing what they are.
2. Papers pinning on the wall start to turn yellow.
3. Cabinet starts to be filled up and will cause an avalanche each time I open the cabinet.

So, the big question is how do I clean the mess? I usually put myself through this test by asking myself a few questions and the answer determines whether the paper stays or it gets into the shredder machine.

1. Do I know what’s in the pile of paper on my desk or in the cabinet? If the answer is no, the whole pile is out. Reason is simple. If I do not know what’s in the pile of papers, I will never know how to make use of it.
2. Do I need it or want it? If I just want it, it goes to the shredder machine too.
3. Will anyone benefit from having it? If no, it goes into the shredder machine too.

Even if we try to store every piece of paper, storage cost is very expensive. It’s better to be kept electronically unless it’s a legal document. Electronic documents are easier and faster to search compared to physical documents.

So, let’s start throwing out the rubbish from your desk now 