Opinion: Clean office speaks volumes about discipline, productivity

Pig Pen arrives on the scene in a cloud of dust and dirt, messy and unkempt. And it drives Schroeder absolutely crazy. A neatnik just can’t tolerate a disorderly environment. Pig Pen doesn’t notice his condition, or the effect it has on others.

If your company is a pigsty, it won’t bother the slobs who work with you. Maybe you are a slob, too. Or maybe you have just grown used to the mess. But the neatniks in your business are going to high-tail it out of there, if you don’t clean it up.

Interestingly, if your office is neat as a pin, it won’t bother the Pig Pens. They don’t notice anyway.

The reasons

The only environment that can handle all personality types is neat and clean. That’s a major reason for cleaning up your company. One more reason to keep a ship-shape shop: Sales.

When I walk through the front door of a restaurant, I can tell how clean the kitchen is. I know that if they can’t manage to sweep the foyer, the kitchen must be a hellhole.

Perhaps you offer skilled services to your customers. Doctors, computer consultants, plumbers and pilots take note. Your customers are not aware of all the technical demands of your profession. But they will make assumptions about your skills based on the little things – whether you have a blob of ketchup on your shirt or your garbage cans are spilling over. This could make them decide not to buy from you. If you are taking care of the little things, they know you have the big things handled.

There’s another much more important reason to clean up your act: Discipline.

It starts with you. Communicate who you are by your attention to the details. If you have too many details to manage, streamline all systems. Keep only those items and procedures that help you make money. You may decide that a neat and clean uniform directly contributes to making sales. If you sincerely believe that – I do – then you are going to have to be willing to fire anyone who refuses to wear the regulation uniform in spit-shine condition.

Your desk says a lot about you. Is it a sane, functional, inspiring working environment? Or is it a disaster on four legs? Certainly, a clean desk can improve your productivity. Even more importantly, it communicates that you know what you are doing.

Once, I was asked to submit a proposal for writing a brochure for a manufacturing company. I decided to deliver the proposal in person.

When I arrived, the president’s secretary told me that he had left for a few minutes and suggested that I set my proposal on his desk. I walked into his office and was shocked to see towering stacks of papers and product samples 2-feet deep on top of his desk.

I set my proposal on top of this sea of paper, and visualized it drowning before it ever got noticed. It did.

The clean up

Take a good look at your desk. Be honest. If it’s a mess – yes, even just “a little messy” – clean it.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a neat and functional working space.

Collect the tools you’ll need – a garbage can, a stapler, Post-It Notes, paper clips, a marking pen and furniture polish or all-purpose cleaner, and a large cup of coffee.

Lock your door and take the phone off the hook.

Take everything – I mean everything – off your desk. Empty all drawers and shelves. Set everything on the floor.

Actually clean your desk, inside and out. Polish it – make it shine.

Go through every pile, and get rid of the trash – throw it out. Be ruthless. Out-of-date information? Toss. A magazine that is more than two months old? Pitch.

Put everything you’d like to keep into piles on the floor.

Use your tools to make small notes, staple corresponding items together, label and sort.

Put back on your desk only the things you will need to access this week. Put back in your drawers only one of each type of office supply item you use. Put back on your shelves only the current projects that require your immediate attention. Take the piles and file them appropriately.

As each new item crosses your desk, you must take a second and put it in its place.

Put your mission statement on your wall.

A clean desk is no small thing. It is symbolic of your commitment to excellence, fundamental business basics and focused thinking. It is a testimony to your personal discipline. If you can’t keep your own desk clear and your work focused and productive, then who are you to lead others?

Ellen Rohr is an author and business consultant who offers systems for getting focused and organized, making money and having fun in business. Her latest book is “The Bare Bones Biz Plan.” She can be reached at ellen@barebonesbiz.com.[[In-content Ad]]