Work your workspace

LIKE your clothes, your workspace too speaks volumes about you as a person. A workspace cluttered with files, notepads, pens and pencils strewn across, the `done' tray overflowing, coffee cups lying about drying up... are all signs of poor organisation. Worse still, it might even lead people to think that you live in a world of confusion. This was exactly the impression Ranjeev's boss seemed to have formed about him as he surveyed the mini battle ground that was Ranjeev's cabin. He couldn't believe that a senior manager who was instrumental in improving the fortunes of the company could be so careless when it came to his own desk. Hot footing around him was a thoroughly embarrassed Ranjeev, wishing repeatedly that he'd done something about the mess on his desk.

Although cluttered desks don't necessarily imply a cluttered mind and are often considered to be sign of artistic `license,' in corporate terminology it just implies poor corporate decorum. Although most of the damage was already done, he still had time to shape up his act. But there was no time and panic hit him when he came to know that the Regional Manager was going to visit his branch. Fortunately for him, his secretary proved to be a great help in the matter and a virtual whiz at getting things organised. Here's what she did:

Sit down and dream

Take an objective look at your workspace or cabin. Never mind, all the mess. Deal with the `overwhelm' later.

Visualise your room the way you want it to appear.

Now visualise all that you need to do to give it that appearance. What you need to do away with and what you need to keep.

Survey the scene

Next, survey, really survey the scene of terror! Segregate all the clutter into categories such as - important, semi important, urgent, keepsakes, temporary, and waste. Then set about organising it.

Imagine it

Now that all the clutter has been organised into some order. Get into the finer details and assess what has to go where. Make a note of all that you need to create order and achieve the look you want - filing cabinets, files, cartons, pins, document trays and the like, and a waste bin.

Get into the act

After which, get into action and sort! Separate the wheat from the chaff. If the amount of clutter is overwhelming, phase the task, and set a deadline for each. After every set of two or three clean-ups, take a 5-minute break to recharge yourself. For instance, clear your pin up board of all unnecessary pin-ups, and notices. Throw away used up stationary, old calendars, torn plastic files, etc.

Decorate

After all the sorting and segregation, it's now time to decorate your desk. Add some colour to it and make it lively.

SAMYUKTA KODA

samyukta.hyd@cnkonline.com