Out of Control?

There are papers on the floor, across the desk and resting on the keyboard. Piles of files are all around. Magazines, newspapers?you name it. Just about anything can be found in this office. You've seen it in your own organization. You know what I am talking about.

Several years ago an employee called me because her performance review included items relating to the disorganized state of her office. When I arrived, her office was piled high with papers. I began asking questions. Are you late with assignments? Does it take you more than 15 seconds to find information? Do you tend to completely lose information? With each question the answer was 'No'.

Probing a little further, I discovered that her supervisor needed to walk past her office every time she wanted to get to the front of the building. So he passed by her cubicle several times a day. Each and every time he walked by, he mentally noted the condition of her office. It seemed her true work performance was not in question? the concern was about her organizing skills. Why? For many people, a messy desk is a messy mind. And the concern with a messy mind is that work isn't getting done.

Whether we like it or not, appearances do matter. An employee with a messy desk and office is often perceived as out of control, non-caring, ineffective and inefficient. It can cause the person to be passed over for a promotion. As a manager, you are also a role model. Direct reports are watching. And forming their own impressions.

On a wider scale, I remember a client company that hired me to coach some of their employees on time management. The company had a 'Clean Desk' policy, which meant that before employees left for the day, desktops were to be free of loose papers. I was assured the policy was enforced. In fact, employees had been seen dumpster-diving to find loose papers they left on their desk the night before which had been thrown out by the cleaning crew.

Although I don't necessarily advocate this particular type of policy or enforcement, it seems that a more organized and effective way to face each new day would be to end the previous day by taking a few moments to place loose papers in a container. Storing papers on the floor is never a good idea, so try keeping them 'above sea level'. A letter tray, a box, a basket? anything to containerize the papers and create a clear space on your desktop. Loose file folders can be put in their own container or in the front of a filing cabinet drawer.

Get in the habit of taking a few minutes every day to keep the desktop organized. It will help prevent the judgment and negative impression people walk away with when they see a messy desk. And you might just like it, too!

Copyright 2005 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.

Cynthia Kyriazis is an organizing and time management consultant, trainer, speaker, coach and author with over 20 years management experience in multi-unit corporations. Organize it, a division of Productivity Partners, Inc. is an organizational training firm she founded in 1995 and has been serving Fortune 500 clients ever since. Cynthia works with business and their employees to help improve performance and realize productivity gains.

Cynthia has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star and the Legal Intelligencer. She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), member of the Kansas City of the International Society for Performance Improvement ? (ISPI-KC) and consultant to the American Coaching Association.

---

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Boot Camp

Service Level Agreements, or "SLA's" are tricky but useful mechanisms... Read More

Innovation Management ? forced into it!

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Problem Solving the Problem Solving Meeting

We go to meetings to share information, to report on... Read More

Protect Your Organizations Proprietary Information

The other day one of our overseas clients called in... Read More

Organizational Structure, Creativity, Innovation

Organizational structure can inhibit or foster creativity and innovation. The... Read More

Why Businesses Need to Start Nurturing Collective Wisdom

COLLECTIVE WISDOM CAN BE AN effective tool for solving the... Read More

Year 2010: Permanent Employees No Longer Required

Jack Welch joined a conference that was held in Duke... Read More

Innovation Management: The Power of Emotional Attachment

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Goodwill is an Intangible Asset

'Goodwill' is regarded as an intangible asset in a business.... Read More

Behavioral Interview Questions You Can Use Monday Morning

If past behavior is the best way to determine future... Read More

Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!

We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although... Read More

Downsizing in Organisations - The Real Truth

I've met and worked with many people in all sectors... Read More

Miracle Max On Market Breakthroughs

Successful enterprise building requires seven elements. These are:1. People, who... Read More

How to get an Audiences Attention

A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More

Interviewing Applicants Can Be Hazardous to Your Wealth

1st Fact: Interviewing applicants is the most common way companies... Read More

Don?t Get Down ? Manage Up!

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is... Read More

Steps in Using the Critical Incident Technique

STEPS IN USING THE CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNIQUE:1) The incident. Read,... Read More

What is Data Visualization?

Data Visualization is InteractiveHave you ever booked your flight plans... Read More

Change Management

"It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the... Read More

Importance of Just-In-Time Inventory System

In today's competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid... Read More

Managing Workplace Conflicts

Kinds of Workplace ConflictsLet's start by identifying where conflicts happen.... Read More

Creative and Innovative Culture, Change Management ? Three Easy Tests

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Having Your Phil

February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Gobbler's... Read More

Meaningful Diversity: Creating Cultures of Inclusion

In the fitness room the other day, I caught a... Read More

Giving a Good Appraisal Interview

Although this performance discussion is an opportunity for you to... Read More

The Fairness of Office Politics... Integrity and Political Motivation!

I hear many complaints daily about the "unfairness" of politics... Read More

What Makes a Good Appraisal Interview?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW?Here is a tip for... Read More

Entitlement Programs Kill Productivity

In articles I've written over the years, I have used... Read More

Hire The Person, Not The Resume

"? [get] the right people on the bus, the right... Read More

Motivation - You Get What You Reward

There's a programme currently running on BBC Television in the... Read More

Involving People Gave Us the Improvements We Needed

We had a problem with handling materials in a production... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Senior Management and Directional Change

This article relates to the Senior/Top Level management of an... Read More

Employers - Protect Yourself from Custody Battles that Hold Your Company Hostage

Child custody? How'd that get to be an employer's concern?When... Read More