Why Bother Organizing Your Office?

I assume that since you're reading this article, you would like your office to be better organized. But why bother organizing your office? Is it simply one of those "shoulds" you inherited from childhood, like "make your bed" or "eat your vegetables"? Or do you think having your office organized will actually make a difference in the way you work?

If you think getting organized will make your work better, you're right! Your ability to work comfortably and effectively determines how much you will enjoy it, which determines how successful you will be, which determines what sort of rewards you will reap. Here are just a few examples:

Immediately, your office's appearance will improve:

• People will view you as more competent. Let's face it, impressions matter and a cluttered, disorganized office is not the image you want for yourself (or even to yourself).
• You will enjoy a more spacious, attractive and comfortable working environment. A better organized office will almost always be roomier even if you don't eliminate anything!

Soon, your performance will improve:

• You will quickly find what you are looking for instead of wasting time.
• Things won't fall through the cracks since you'll have a good follow-up system.
• You will be better able to prioritize because you will have clearly identified what you need to do.
• You will be better able to keep up with your workload because you will be more productive.
• You will think more clearly because you won't be surrounded by clutter.
• You will save money because you won't be buying duplicates of things you already have but cannot find.
• Not only will you appear more competent, you will actually be more competent.

Even your mood will improve:

• You will unblock your creativity and emotional energy.
• You will feel more confident and in control.
• You will feel less stressed.

I want you to know right from the start that there is no one right way to be organized because everyone works differently. Try the various techniques you will find in this blog and others, and if one doesn't seem to do the trick for you, try another. You may already be using some of them; others may spark new ideas. Keep trying different approaches until you find things that are reasonably natural for you.

You will probably need to make some changes in the way you have been doing things. As they say, if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep having what you've always had. If you're tired of having a disorganized office, you should embrace your decision to make whatever changes are necessary. The experts say you should allow 21 days to establish a new habit, so find what works best for you and stick with it.

If you take the trouble to get your office better organized, there are enormous benefits to be had. You'll be surprised: your whole life will get better!