Before beginning a project is it necessary to clean off the desk or work surfaces? Is the desk crowded with objects or piles of things that are seldom used or referred to? Does a full desk indicate a busy and competent worker? A person who answers yes to any of these questions may be perpetuating desk clutter. .
The work environment should be the most efficiently managed area of a person's life. Clutter is never more harmful than when it is at the office or on the person's desk. Looking around the average workplace, many desks are piled high with towers of papers, rarely used office supplies or equipment, and assorted jumbled knickknacks, all competing for space on the desk. The cluttered desk reminds one of a junkyard. This mess does not leave much room to accommodate work. Clearing off the work area will give a person a more streamlined workspace and make life smoother.
Desk, June 2009
Desk Setup June 2009
Desk, April 2011The person will benefit from the psychological impact of the reduction of clutter as well.
The word clutter originates from the Middle English coagulate or clot. Just as a clot stops the flow of the vitality in the body, so does desk clutter stop the proper flow of work. Spending ten minutes looking for the red pen lost underneath heaping piles of superflous trash impedes the flow of the workday. The person will feel the effects of this blockage when he or she is unable to find the inventory lists the boss needs because they are buried underneath a year's worth of catalogs; all stacked up for later perusal.
Webster defines clutter as: 1) to fill with scattered things that impede movement or reduce efficiency or 2) crowded confusion. These two definitions accurately describe the cluttered desk. Many desks share the common characteristic of having...