Clear the Decks

There's a huge difference between a work environment that is clear, and one that is clean. Clear spaces enable you to be productive while still promoting cross-fertilization of ideas. Clean spaces waste your energy on the busywork of constantly relocating your work materials.

“It’s not just about clearing your desk. It’s about clearing your mind…for more important things.” — Cynthia Kyriazis

When I first started working at IBM, they had a clean desk policy. At the end of the day, security would come around and check all the offices. If so much as a single sheet of paper was left out, they’d write you up.

That is most definitely?not?what I’m recommending, here.

After all, what’s the easiest way to keep a desk top clean? Designate one of your desk drawers as a substitute desk top. At the end of the day, sweep everything into the drawer.

All of the thoughts and relationships that went into the position of various piles on the desk are all lost in a giant jumble. You then have to spend valuable time in the morning reassembling and repositioning everything on your desk before you can work on it.

Tom Peters has famously said, “If your company has a clean-desk policy, the company is nuts, and you’re nuts to stay there.”

I am not recommending a?clean?desk. I’m recommending a?clear?desk.

That’s true even if your “desk” is a corner of your dining room table, or a TV tray with your laptop on it.

Be ready for action

Life at sea can be dangerous. Whether a ship was facing pirates, an enemy vessel, or a storm at sea, it was important that there not be any gear lying about the decks to trip busy sailors.

When action was imminent, the order was given to clear the decks. Unnecessary objects were removed or tied down. Unnecessary people were sent below. This gave the ship and its crew the best chances of success.

You should do the same thing for your work space. That gives you the best chance of success for your efforts tomorrow.

• Look over the items on your desk. Are any of them projects that have been completed? File them appropriately. (Sometimes, the appropriate file is the trash can.)
• Position your folders, stacks, or other working documents so that all of the ones related to tomorrow's highest priority are on top or closest to you. Move documents, stacks, or folders related to other tasks further away.
• Read over the quick notes you jotted, and transcribe any that are still needed. Add any context necessary to understand the note tomorrow. Then throw out the original scrap of paper, or cross out the original note if, like me, you write in the margins of completely unrelated projects.

The idea is to get rid of anything that might trip you up tomorrow, and prevent you from successfully taking action on your most important priority. You don’t want to come across a note and wonder, “Is this relevant? Is this something I need to act on now?”

You want to be able to get into your Flow state quickly and stay there until your priority activity is done.

Key Takeaways

Your work space is where you command your daily activities. Set yourself up for success by "clearing the decks" of anything unnecessary.

It's a waste of energy to relocate your work materials just to satisfy a clean-desk policy. (If your work is classified, and must be kept under lock and key, that's different.) A clear desk policy, on the other hand, allows you to organize your thoughts and materials for use tomorrow.

At the end of every day, organize your space so that you can take action immediately tomorrow. File or throw out materials for completed projects. Ensure notes are understandable and located with the appropriate project.

You selected your most important priority with the first tip in this series. Now you've cleared your desk to focus on that priority. Keep reading for other tips to make your tomorrow better.