I’ve been at my desk job for almost five years, and while going through some old file folders, I found paper documents from almost five years ago. We have a “Don’t Throw Anything Away” attitude around our office that leads to people needed two cubicles to store all of their stuff by the time they retire.
Unfortunately, with the current economy, we have extra cubicles available to facilitate their needs.
Regardless, I will not be one of those people. I am going through my desk and files and cleaning house. There are certain documents that need to be kept for legal reasons, but often times, I am not the one who should keep them. I have four piles that everything is being sorted into:
- Throw Away – Documents and random binders that no one has any need for. Most of the time, I didn’t even know I had this info and wouldn’t have looked for it even if I thought I might need it. Thrown away without a second thought.
- Might be important – These are documents that I may want as reference at some point in the future, enough that I will spend the time to scan them, appropriately name the file so I can find it using search terms, and throw the actual paper away.
- Important (but not to me) – Documents that need to be kept for legal reasons, but not by me. I have directed these to the appropriate parties and rid myself of the responsibility.
- Important – These are documents I am either currently working on, use often as reference, or I want to have a physical copy of because they contain information coworkers need to easily access if I’m gone. They are appropriately filed.
Now, the emphasis is on keeping the clutter from building. After a few lunch hours working on my desk, everything is simplified and I feel energized and much more productive.
Regardless of what kind of work you do or what clutter you may have, I’m certain that reducing the amount of stuff around you will help you be better at your tasks. Try it.