Sanjeev Satgainya

Kathmandu:

Do you have books piled up on your desk creating a lopsided pyramid? Are there unnecessary files and folders scattered from one corner of your table to another? If so, then it’s certainly time to think seriously about arranging your workplace. Clearing and arranging your desk can certainly enhance your productivity and leave a positive impression about you and your style of working. Cleaning your workplace or de-cluttering is a simple phenomenon, the lack of which could sometimes tarnish your professional image. The files scattered, magazines piled up and envelopes lying around leave an impression of mismanagement and lack of personal discipline.

“A clean environment around you at the workplace boosts your morale,” says Jyoti Pradhan, public relations officer, Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. She says that an uncluttered surrounding means easing your job and completing work with efficiency. “If one’s desk is cluttered with unnecessary material, it will take much longer to find things that are immediately needed.”

The surroundings you create at your workplace show how you work and what kind of attitude you possess. This varies from person to person. “When you see things well arranged all around you, your mind is relaxed. A cluttered mind makes more mistakes and the loss ultimately is to the company and the employee,” shares Giri Raj Regmi, MIS officer in a government bank.

It is not unusual for your workplace to get cluttered during the day. Risha works as a receptionist in a private company. She says, “There are a number of things I have to handle everyday. Letters, magazines, newspapers, message slips, registers, etc. The more I try to arrange them, the more they get scattered and it really irritates me. Sometimes I think this propagates a bad impression not only about me but also about the company as I work at the front desk.”

De-cluttering though does not need an intelligent mind or skilful hands, it just needs proper attention. Pradhan has her own way of getting things arranged. “I prefer a neat and clean environment to work. Everyday before leaving the office, I jot down the things to be done for the next day and place them accordingly. Other things are arranged in a pertinent place and this saves time,” she says.

A quick look at your workspace will probably yield a surprising number of items that you seldom use. Look for dated files, letterhead you don’t need, knick-knacks that get in the way, or a desk lamp that you never turn on. These are things that can be dispensed with. Then segregate things appropriately. A human resource manager suggests, “Keep only those items that are worth keeping within an arm’s reach, and move anything you don’t use daily out of sight. No one needs everything everyday and every time. You can start a supply cupboard and keep only a small amount of each item in your primary work area and that will let work efficiently with comfort.” Keep your workplace neat and clean is not difficult. A little effort can yield great results.