Annual Office Clean-Out: Rethinking Your Equipment

Can you find six differences between the before and after pictures of my desk? Over time, I had let outdated equipment remain, and the result is evident in the before photo. The after picture is at the bottom of this post - see if you can find the changes before reading on.

Before the Clean-Out.

Wow, seeing the clear desk space is energizing.

Here's how I analyzed what needed to change:

1. The desktop computer would only run a few minutes at a time before a system error would shut it down. I held onto it to make sure I had transferred all the files - but after six months, I hadn't needed anything on the CPU. It was time to let it go.
2. When was the last time you needed a fax machine? Last year, I eliminated the dedicated fax line because I so seldom used it. I figure I may need a fax machine twice a year, so it does not need to take up valuable space on my desk. I moved it to another room. [I briefly considered moving it to my office closet, but then I would have to reconnect it to an outlet and phone line when I wanted to use it, which effectively meant it would be too much of a hassle to use].
3. Now I had space to move the flat screen monitor to the stand where the fax had been. That allowed me to hook it up to my laptop and increase my productivity with a double monitor set-up.
4. The desk lamp has needed to be repaired since I tried to add a new harp and discovered that I had to pull the entire lamp apart to do so. It's now too wobbly to hold a shade. It's off to the repair shop.
5. Without a desktop computer, I eliminated the keyboard. The keyboard tray is now available for storage of an older laptop I use for my accounting.
6. The obsolete CD's I had been storing on top of the CPU are now boxed up to send for recycling. 
7. In the process of unplugging old equipment, I found (and removed) a charger for a Palm PDA I no longer own. I was able to plug all but four pieces of equipment (modem, router, phone, and answering machine) into a second power strip that I can turn off after hours and reduce electrical use.

Take a few moments and review the equipment on your desk and in your office. What is there out of habit, not necessity? What needs to be repaired? Would moving items make you more efficient?

Make it fun and take a before photo (an added benefit is that you may see what needs to change easier in a photo - our eyes filter out things in 'real life' that are glaringly obvious in a photo). Share your before and after photos in the comment section below this blog post; your photo and comments may help someone else make progress.

P.S. If your company would like to schedule an Office Clean-Out, call me to discuss scheduling a half-day training/goal-setting session few weeks prior. That way your employees have clear-cut objectives, their questions have been answered, and they are at maximum effectiveness during the Clean-Out.

Call 805-382-4920 to discuss training options.