Q:
I'm constantly plagued by little irritants that absorb my time
and eat up my day. My phone cord is too short, the trash can is
constantly kicked as I pass by, my bulletin board hangs crooked, my
desk drawers seem to jam and so on. It never seems to end--and all
these little irritants absorb my time. How can I deal with these
small problems so I can move on to the most important tasks at
hand?
A: I
can't tell you the number of times I've heard that
complaint when I've had opportunity to help people achieve
greater effectiveness in the workplace. The fact is, they're
usually telling the truth. They really are being hindered by any
number of easily fixed, often tiny problems that have been there
from day one. The problem is that we tend to adjust to the
situation instead of adjusting the situation, and the irritants
remain.
I've found consistently that when my clients move into a new
office, they immediately start working and don't give
themselves adequate time to "set up their nest" or get
organized. Perhaps the most humorous example of this was a Colorado
client who hired me to come out and train 12 of his people with a
daylong seminar and hands-on coaching. As I rotated through and
worked with each attendee, I entered one office, and, to my
amazement, it was beautiful! Nothing out of place, all very
organized--even gorgeous to boot! I asked the owner of the office
why she even took the course. She replied that there was something
about the office that had been bugging her for years, but she
couldn't put her finger on it. I told her that I couldn't
help her, that the office was close to wonderful, but she insisted
I spend some time there analyzing her situation.
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As I watched her begin her work, the phone rang. As she reached
for it, I noticed that the cord was about 25 feet long. While
speaking, she began to wrap it around her desk, her neck and her
computer. It was a nightmare to watch. After she hung up, I asked
her if she always answered the phone like that and she said,
"Yes, and it drives me crazy!" The phone was on her right
and she was right handed, so the long cord lay across her writing
area and was in the way all over her desk.
Realizing this, I suggested that she put the phone on her left.
It took us three minutes to move the phone. When it rang again, she
picked it up with much ease, talked for a moment, hung up, got up
and gave me a hug. And I got big bucks for that!
Do you know how long she had lived with that little irritant?
Seven years! She had put up with a small irritant (probably
"inherited" from her predecessor) instead of removing the
irritant that had hindered her achievement. Once identified and
fixed, she experienced the same relief we feel when a speck of dust
is removed from our eye.
Don't be afraid to experiment with your office or desk
setup. If a certain moment makes your day uncomfortable, try to
find out whether that activity contains an irritant. You'll be
amazed at how small adjustments, which cost you and your firm
nothing, can make your workday run more smoothly.
Sue
McMillin equips and encourages her clients to clear office and
home clutter, enabling them to find anything they own in seconds,
recover 40 percent of the space in their environment, gain up to an
hour a day in productivity and save as much as $5,000 per employee
per year. Some of her clients include 3M, ABA, Boeing, Eli Lilly,
Fannie Mae, Intel, Kodak, Marriott, MCI, NEA, Steelcase, Toyota and
Xerox.
The opinions expressed in this column are those
of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to
be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas
or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting
an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or
accountant.