I'm working in an office again (last year I spent a lot more time working at home) and I noticed that I had gotten in the habit of leaving projects in stacks around the office. I could do that at home, because no one would disturb my work.
Being in an office, however, I've been more conscious of cleaning up. I've found that the discipline of cleaning up each evening, rather than taking more time (as I had thought) actually helps me be more efficient.
There are several reasons for this:
- I come in each morning to a clean desk and tend to prioritize my work better (rather than working on the project that is the most prominently in my way.)
- I leave each night with a clearer mind - having finalized, made a few notes, and put each folder away in my desk - this essentially moves the project from the foreground to the background of my mind.
- As I pull out each folder and refamiliarize myself with its contents, I bring a slightly different perspective to the work as I would have if I'd left it lying as it had been when I worked on it last. In some cases, this presents new ideas and solutions I hadn't thought of before.
- I feel better about having a clean office!
