Years ago, I did some accounting for a lawyer. In addition to
being a lawyer and a nice person, there was another thing about him
which I admired – whenever I went into his office, there was no
clutter.
Years ago, I did some accounting for a lawyer. In addition to being a lawyer and a nice person, there was another thing about him which I admired – whenever I went into his office, there was no clutter.
Except for a couple of items like a small clock and a penholder, his desktop and all other items of furniture were completely clear.
For years afterward, I wondered how was this possible. My desktop was typically piled high with stacks of mail, unread magazines, unfiled papers, books I intended to read, bills to pay, my to do list, uncompleted projects, etc.
How on earth was he able to do it? Where was all his paperwork? What about his professional journals. Where were they?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if my workspace were that clear. Then people would look at me and secretly ask themselves those same questions and wonder how I am able to do it.
One reason that things pile up on our desktops is that we’re afraid if we file everything away we’ll forget about it. But having everything piled high on the desk in front of us is, in truth, a poor reminder system.
It may remind us of the top one or two items, but not of anything buried deeper in the pile. What we want is a clear picture of what needs to be done. Instead of reminding us, the pile creates an aura of negativity. We carry this negativity around with us – in the back of our minds there’s that messy pile.
Another reason for office clutter is that there’s not adequate shelf space or a proper filing system. If you clear off your desk without these, your efforts will not last for long.
The first thing to do is therefore to acquire adequate shelves and filing cabinets and a good desk with a drawer for frequently used files. As an alternative you can use a portable hang-file system which sits on the desktop.
Then, you can begin putting everything away. The fundamental principle is that everything should have a home. Think of a carpenter’s workshop with all the tools hanging on pegboard hooks.
A second principle is to start with the current items. If you start with the backlog, you’ll get bogged down. So, for example, don’t start by sorting out items in your existing filing system. Instead, create new files if necessary to deal with the items in your pile.
I recommend investing in colorful hang files. I like the bright red ones. When I open the drawer to my filing cabinet the red hang-files brighten things up and give me a little lift.
Go through the items in your pile one by one. Find a place for each item or put them in a box for future sorting. You may need to come in on a weekend or use a vacation day to do all this.
The toughest things to deal with are the magazines and professional journals. I tend to hang on to them too long. When they start piling up and I have multiple unread issues of the same publication, it is time to toss.
This is painful because I’ve paid good money for them and there may be good information there, but they’re not going to get read, it’s better to clear them out.
There are exceptions. I keep certain professional journals in a briefcase which I carry with me wherever I go. If I arrive early for an appointment or otherwise have some spare time, I can catch up on my reading. I sometimes get up early and read these for an hour or so.
Paul Alpert is an independent CPA/tax specialist in Morgan Hill. He is a member of the National Organization of Professional Organizers (NAPO). His column runs every other Tuesday. He can be reached at 778-9477 or at www.deltaplanner.com.
