Having a clean desk at the end of the day is a common time management and stress management technique. But there is so much more to this than simply putting everything back in its place (or worse, dumping stuff in the waste basket!)
What is a clean desk mentality?
Having a clean desk is a state of mind. It means that you are focussing only on what is open in front of you, that your mind is not wandering off to half solve other issues. You are handling the job in hand. You get something out, work on it, then when you have reached a sensible point to stop you then stop working on that, put t away and move on to the next thing. You are focussed. You don't drift. You get stuff done. One thing after another. And best of all, when you finish for the day and clear your desk then you don't think about work until the next morning!
What is wrong with this picture?
Emails ping 24 hours a day. Your phone is with you all the time and you are never "off", you are always available and your desk is never clear because your desk is wherever you happen to be.
So how do you get a clear desk state of mind in the digital age?
A clear desk mentality is one where you are in charge and you are still at least metaphoricaly getting things out and putting them away again. Try the following:
- Set specific times of the day when you check email and turn off all email notifications.
- Put your phone to voicemail when you are working on something. Be unavailable. Check voice mails between activities.
- Don't graze work. Choose one activity and complete it.
- Set a time for each activity that you will spend on it. And stick to it. If you give yourself an hour to do something, use the hour. Don't start and then start something else.
- Create rules that state explicitly when you can be interrupted and when you can't.
- Have an end of the day (whatever time you set) and after that time you stop working. That includes rehearsing thoughts for the next day or reliving the dramas of the day.
- Before finishing for the day, make a note of the key things you have achieved. If this is hard to do, then you haven't had a clear desk state of mind. You've flitted about.
A clear desk mentaility is about organizing your day into chunks of activity and then at the end of the day you feel a sense of completion. It is possible even in this age of constant interruptions.
Do you have a clear desk state of mind?
