Writers on Clutter Overload -2

            Clutter Overload 1: Paper remains the major cluttering item in any office. Papers, file folders, spreadsheets, memos, manuals and anything that can be printed is printed. Then it has to be filed somewhere but in the meantime, for a long time, it lands in a pile. Before long, every available surface is topped with paper piles. Paper consumes a huge amount of time and energy. How many e-mails are printed out "just in case" instead of saved electronically for reference?

            Clutter Overload 2: Second to paper are knick knacks, photos, collections or last year's grab bag gift. Scattered around the desk and stuck on bulletin boards, these dust magnets function like sand traps on a golf course, they slow down your game. Even photos or desk toys are a distraction in the work day which can connect to a pleasant memory or provide a way to waste time.

           Clutter Overload 3   The third most often complained about clutter in an office is wires. An endless stream of cables runs from computers, monitors, printers and phones. The electronic gadgets that keep the office going need their umbilical cord connection to power.

             When you think of McCartney's album title, Memory Almost Full, is your work space so full of clutter that you can't remember a project deadline, a fax confirmation to send or an assignment to send to a client? Clutter in the work space becomes mental clutter as your concentration is repeatedly interrupted searching among the piles or trying to remember what needs to be done next. There was a reason your elementary teacher told you to take everything off your desk and work on just one paper at a time. That's still the best way to complete jobs without missing something important.

             As Sir Paul said, "I think that we all need to delete stuff every so often." That's the truth. After all, when the memory runs out, the oldest items are lost to make room for the new. So help out the process. Sort without mercy in 15 minute time blocks at least twice a day until the pile is reduced. Do this twice a week and you'll control clutter instead of allowing clutter to control you.