Offices have evolved over time. And no more significantly than in recent years, as technology has provided us tools to make our work lives “more productive.” I put productive in quotes because we all remember how predictions had us using technology to eliminate paper, and work much less every week to accomplish more. Neither has come to pass, but some of that is our own fault…
New ways of doing business --- combined with advances in tools and technology --- have necessitated an equal shift in our work style and our office environment. However, many of us are so steeped in old habits, that we may be still using last century physical tools (the square hole), into which we try to fit the round peg of technology. Like the old saying, it just doesn’t fit. Here are a few tips that I have found useful:
1. Focus your visuals. Some of us are just packrats. I get it. If I’m not careful, I tend to be one, too. We are bombarded with too much digital clutter today to put up with any other useless distractions, so clear off your desk, toss those stacks of old trade magazines and reports, and file or trash those spontaneous piles of paperwork stacked in the corner. Put away (or better yet, throw away) anything you don't need to be thinking about --- and dealing with --- on a daily basis. If there are things you do need to keep, create a space for it that is out of site (cabinet, file drawer, etc), and commit to keeping it there until you need it for reference or follow-up.
2. Digital vs. physical. As I was preparing to relocate our offices, I had an epiphany: if I had saved a document digitally, I no longer needed to save it physically as well. In times past, computer hard drives were small and sometimes unreliable, so most of us got into the habit of printing out things and keeping physical files. Current hardware technology (HD capacity, scanning) and Web 2.0 have solved that dilemma. HD’s are huge and much more stable now, and web-based “cloud back-up” services are cheap and reliable. I decided I was going to attack the encroachment of physical files (most of which I hadn’t looked at in years) and keep everything I could digitally. I used to have a four-drawer lateral file. I now keep my physical files in one-half of a small drawer. Everything else is stored digitally, and easily found (step one: a logical file directory; step 2: HD content search software).
3. Keep only very current items within reach. We all have our own work styles. I like to keep things I’m working on in front of me, in organized stacks and/or stand up file sorters. I used to just fan things out on my desk in front of me. That worked too. Regardless of your style, refer to point number one and sweep away anything that’s not current and doesn’t need to be within reach. If you are a jotter, keep a pad of post-its and a pen next to your phone or mouse. And don’t move them.
4. Set up a landing area. It’s a little obsessive-compulsive, but set up an area of your desk or credenza that you have to pass on your way to the door, tossing your keys, cell/PDA, business card case, mail…whatever you want to make you’re your grab on the way back out. It can save you wasted time digging and looking, as well as the inevitable stress when you realize you walked out without your smartphone, or got all the way to the car without your keys.
5. Get comfortable. You spend the majority of your waking hours in your workspace, so for God’s sake invest in a comfortable, ergonomically correct chair and a well-engineered mouse and keyboard that’s easy on your hands and wrists. I’ve had carpal tunnel, and it’s no picnic, so I now use a split keyboard with a wide heal-rest, and a track ball (rather than a moveable mouse). No more C.T. Test-drive anything you buy, and make sure it’s comfortable for you and the way you sit and work. And don’t forget your monitor. Get a big wide screen model (or even two). They are relatively inexpensive, and the improvement when your screen is at its highest resolution and is angled properly for your seating configuration simply cannot be underestimated. You’ll feel better at the end of the day, I guarantee it.
6. Pay attention to the way you work and adjust as needed. After your initial reorganization, keep an eye out for recurring tasks you can do more efficiently in your workspace. If you often need space to spread out paperwork, get a keyboard drawer or L-shaped desk that gives you that room. If you have a laptop you take with you, get yourself an extra power cord or dock for easy plugging and unplugging. If you refer to paperwork while you type, get yourself a monitor-mounted document clip. One right-handed university dean told me that she taught herself to mouse with her left hand so she could jot notes at the same time with her right (brilliant!) Some of the most effective tweaks you can make in your workspace will depend on your work style and needs. Whatever works for you IS the right way.
7. Mommy, why does that man have a blue tooth? We all make fun of the nerds in the airport wearing tiny headsets like they just stepped out of the Enterprise. But dammit, they really work, and are legions safer than trying to balance that slippery iPhone or unwieldy Blackberry against your ear. At the very least, use a wired earphone when driving, or synch your phone with your in-car system for hands-free use. If I’m going to share the road with you, I want you to be safe.
It’s not rocket science, but simple tricks and inexpensive tools we can use to make us more organized and efficient. Have other tips? Share them with me here and I will publish a follow-up.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-- Arthur C. Clarke