February 5th, 2009 by Wes Baker

Workspace

Filed under Productivity

To some of us, workspace seems unimportant. A desk where we place our papers, a lamp to light our desk and generally a place to stash our stuff. Yet, we are there for somewhere near eight hours a day. It's this realization that got me thinking about how little we care about it and how our desk just serves as a big shelf.

When I recognized this I began to look at my desk differently. If you come and look at my desk, it's typically a very good indication of how busy and stressed I am. If I've been busy and running around, then papers are scattered everywhere and there's lots of to-dos lying around. But if I've been calm and collected then my desk might have a notebook on it or maybe a print out of something I'm working on, nothing more. What's odd about all this is that I pick up on how busy my workspace is and that makes me more stressed and makes me feel busier.

Once I noticed that the papers on my desk and my stress levels were related, I decided that I would clean off my desk on a daily basis — a new habit. So, every day — morning, afternoon or evening — I look at what's on my desk and review it (those down with Getting Things Done might recognize this behavior). I then find a place for all my books, file away all the loose papers and trash anything that doesn't add a lick of value.

The lesson to be learned from this is be aware of your surroundings, they have more impact on you than you might suspect. Even if you are the type who keeps stacks on your desk and knows where everything is — right on your desk of course — think about the fact that you are there for a third of your day. What can (or have) you do to improve your day by improving your workspace?

Speak up.

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