Yes, we're interested in desk management.

While desk management is not as popular a topic as office politics, the fact of the matter is, the fate of an important aspect in your life lies on your desk. You cannot excel in your accounting job or engineer job or admin job or it job (whatever is your job!) in a dirty workspace! You are supposed to treat the space an altar and so, do not let clutter take over it. Here is our take on desk management.

Your goal is to create a clear area right in front of you for increased productivity and peace of mind. Is it possible to achieve such a thing? Yes. So, the next time you find some free time, try following these:

To prevent paper clutter, employ a filing system. Start with choosing a drawer that is within your arm's reach; use that to house projects that need your immediate action. Do not leave papers on your desk, please. How about your old files? Plan a day to assess completed projects and then decide which files you need to keep and which you do not. As for magazines and mails, do the same thing. Find another drawer where you can place important ones for filing. Just a friendly suggestion: stop collecting magazines as they can eat a lot of space. If this cannot be avoided, keep your stash at home.

Frequently used items such as staplers, paper clips, and pens, deserve spots on your desk. Place them within your reach, so you do not have to stand up or bend. For organization's sake, we suggest you use a small box to keep these items.

To be continued.

About the image: Written by Theo Theobald & Cary Cooper, ’Detox Your Desk’ helps you fight back by purging your system of office toxins, so you can take control of the everyday stuff and calmly field whatever lands in your in-tray. Read more about it at http://sg.jobsdb.com/SG/EN/Resources/JobSeekerArticle/career-coaching-on-effect?ID=45