A potential client agrees to meet with you 3 Tuesdays away but you are scrambling to look through your calendar and realize you have not looked that far in advance. You think you may have a doctor’s appointment on that day but can not for the life of you remember what time. You tell your client you need to get back to them. All you can think of is – I wish I had more time or perhaps you starting thinking about all the others areas of your life where time has escaped you.
Whether you are an entrepreneur or executive, your physical environment plays a role in how you perform and the results you get. Imagine one of your most productive days, the phone was ringing and you were able to connect with clients and find everything you needed to deliver on your products and services. Take a look at your space now – what can be improved?
You want to create a space that you feel empowered in. When you create an organized and inviting space, you will allow your best ideas to come forth. This environment with be a place where you get creative and start innovating new ideas. Sometimes, all you need is a punch of color on the walls, a picture or motivational quote in front of you, a filing cabinet for all of your papers covering your desk, or a calendar to keep you on track.
By creating a productive office space you are able to:
Track Your Progress. You may have heard the saying, “What gets measured, gets done.” By tracking your progress with calendars, checklists, or charts, you create a visual. The visual representation of your work can help you with setting goals, targets, and stretch you a bit out of your comfort zone. You can also assess what is working, what is not working, and what you need to kick into high gear and start doing.
Brainstorm New Ideas. You cannot brainstorm ideas in a cluttered space. For many people, clutter zaps their creativity and energy. They get drained and avoid the space entirely. Organizing your time, money, and paper can help clean your desk and mind for a productive day.
Know Where Everything Is. How many times in the past 30 days have you looked for something that you could not find and a few hours or days later you found it. How much time and energy was wasted? Create a system for filing that will help you grab that key document at a moments notice or even help you keep track of your keys.
Delegate the Extras. By creating systems and processes for the ways you like to get things done, you will be able to delegate a number of items on your never ending to-do list so you can concentrate on what you do best. Not only will you be able to create more space for what you want to do, you can get more done and feel great about it. Focus on where you get your greatest return on invesment using your gifts and talents. What activities give you the greatest return on your investment of time, energy, and resources?
Boost Your Concentration. You can boost your concentration by creating a environment that makes you feel empowered. At the same time, you need to put that environment into action by setting time blocks or office hours so that you create consistent time to do what you need to do. You may need to set some boundaries with others who think that if you have flexible schedule that you can run errands for them or drop by for those unexpected visits.
Creating a office space that you feel amazing in makes you not only feel like a high performer but perform like a high performer. You will increase your productivity and boost your concentration and laser your focus while saving valuable time, money, and energy so that you can deliver your best. What would creating a office space like this do for you? What would happen to your workload or business if you focused on creating this space?
I would love to hear what your office space does for you. Why have you designed it the way you have?
Please share this post with others so they can be save time and produce the results they want – just like YOU!
John Cameron says
Hi Debra,
I know exactly what you mean.
I work mostly in clients offices, but about 25% of my time is spent in my home office. When I get busy my office gets messy and I start to lose focus and don’t track details the way I like to.
Last week I removed an entire garbage bag of stuff I didn’t need anymore. It wasn’t messy, but I somehow feel like I’ll be more productive when I step in now. That been translating into real results.
I even found an article on procrastination I wrote a few years back that. It was originally just a handout. I’ve been looking for it for a couple of years I’ve wanted to post it on my blog because the people who read it still talk about it. It’ll be up on my blog in a couple of weeks and it’s hugely ironic that it turned up while doing something I procrastinated on! It’s a ‘present’ and that will only make sense if you read the post.
Elvira says
Hi Debra,
Great blog about the benefits of an organized office. Some of us fall into the “messy office syndrome”
I am one of them. Many times I end up, like John mentioned, looking for things for hours or have to tell customers I will call them back.
I am planning to read your other blog: “Social Media Marketing Success.
Wishing you all the best Elvira
debra says
Thanks Elvira! Much appreciated!
Kay Franklin says
I also agree. A while back my husband was redecorating our bathroom and all the new bathroom furniture was being stored in my office!
It really impacted on my productivity! My ideal environment vanished! I ended up going to the library to work some days.
I really enjoyed reading through your article. Thanks.
debra says
Thank you Kay. Your space really impacts your creativity!
Lyndah Malloy-Glover says
Debra, great post. Love the feng shui aspect. Keep the space tight and your work will be right. The best reason I know to make your work space work for you!
Best,
Lyndah
debra says
Thank you for your insight I had never heard that before “Keep the space tight and your work will be right.” Very Interesting. Very true.
Zat says
Thanks for you insights. Being organized is something I always need support with. having a clear space to brainstorm is crucial.
debra says
Always a work in progress!