This past weekend I was bound and determined to clean out the 2 inboxes on my desk – a magazine rack where I would put incoming magazines until I read them, and a standard inbox where everything else went until I process it. As they were piling up and I really didn’t know the true extent of what was in them, I did not rest until everything was removed and processed. I am happy to report this was done, and the accompanying photo is my proof.

My inboxes became a literal dead zone in my office. A combination of personal and business items was piled up in the inbox, and back issues of everything from Inc. to the Red Eye going back farther than they should. So I sorted them, shredded the few things I couldn’t think of how they got in there, and took them on 1 by 1. At the end of the night, they were picture-perfect empty (the Omniture scarf under them is made by my client, SportsScarf).

To prevent this from repeating, I am eliminating the newspaper rack and just keeping the inbox. It already has made a difference in the appearance and feel of my desk, possibly even improving its feng shui? As magazines come in, I will read them. I will only keep items in it if they can not be processed right away for whatever reason.

This type of continual improvement once again reminds me productivity is a journey and not a destination.

Did you enjoy reading this? You are welcome to subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS feed or by email.

Business • (3) Comments • Permalink