MEMO:
Oops, Your Manners Are Showing!
Manners Matter in the Office
It is time for a desk purge!
It's said that in an average lifetime we spend one whole year riffling through papers. If your computer is aflutter with Post-its and you can no longer see your desk, purge!
Use your desk for active projects only - the stuff you are working on right now. Your work space needs to be orderly enough for a coworker to find materials in your absence.
Make a list of unfinished tasks, uncomfortable phone calls, and delayed responses to memos. Aim to get the beastly list dealt with within a realistic time frame - three or four days max.
Try to concentrate information. Transfer notes, memos, phone numbers, and flashes of brilliance to one master list on paper, and one on your computer. For large projects keep relevant numbers, key names, addresses, objectives, aims and details on one page and in one computer file.
For paper documents, vertical files are better than wire trays.
Give computer files clear, relevant names. Poetic or cryptic names are a nightmare to decode months later.
Use technology intelligently. Learn how to reduce complicated, repetitive tasks to one keystroke. Every office has a techno nerd; buy her lunch and then heed her wisdom. She can save you hours.
If your job entails research and information gathering but you are Internet-ignorant, take an intensive weekend course.
You can do this! Think how much better you will feel with a clean, clear and organized desk. You can get to the important task of the day.
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