Productivity research tells us that the average person spends about 10 per cent of the day (or one hour) looking for things.

If we have difficulty finding paperwork we need, or notes from a meeting, or research for a project, precious time will be wasted looking for them. Creating order is fundamental to managing time well, and it involves eliminating clutter and proper organization of workspace, papers, and electronic files.

In this session, we will discuss decluttering your workspace and then how to organize that space, focusing on your desk and your files.

Decluttering

5S is one of the most widely used Lean tools. Lean process improvement is a culture of ideas, tools, and processes that are designed to eliminate waste and improve workflow, to provide maximum value for minimum cost.

Using this Lean process results in an office that is ‘decluttered,” and a decluttered office space has been proven to give you more energy, reduce stress and increase productivity!

The 5S Process is a way of organizing and managing the workspace and work flow with the intent to improve efficiency by eliminating waste. It incorporates a system of regular visual inspections and self-audits to identify opportunities for continuous improvements.

The “S” stands for:

• Sort – Removing unnecessary tools, equipment, and other items from the work area.
• Straighten – Effective and efficient storage of tools, equipment, and other items.
• Shine – Cleanliness involves housekeeping and helps in problem prevention.
• Standardize – Develop best practice routines, adapt tools, and improve access to simplify organizing.
• Sustain – Maintenance and continual improvement through spot checks and audits.

Making Connections

Here is a suggestion to help get rid of clutter in your workspace – all you need is a few recycling bags! Make four piles of all the papers you have strewn around, including those on the bulletin board, under your blotter or desk calendar, and on chairs. Sort the papers into categories and put them into the recycling bags. The categories we recommend are:

• Take home/get out of office
• Help yourself/giveaways to colleagues
• Cool stuff you want to keep and display
• Things to be filed or written into your planner

Organizing Your Work Area and Your Paperwork

A clean desk is not a sign of an empty mind! Do not fall prey to the false notion that a messy work area means you look busy, and thinking that if you look busy, then you are productive. Being active is not the same as being productive!

Here are some tips for organizing your work area.

Do it now!

Anything that takes less than 30 minutes should be done as it comes up. If it will take more than 30 minutes, add the task to your planner.

Dump.

Throw out or take home all those things you have collected that you do not need or use. We are often accustomed to holding on to things and sometimes are afraid to throw out the wrong thing. We like the same rule for work that we use at home: if you have not used it for a year (or an entire business cycle), get rid of it, because you obviously are not using it.

Sort and group.

Your desk should be organized logically, with pencils and pens in one place, and another place for letterhead and envelopes. Have a basket for projects and another one for priority items so that you can locate the things you need when you want them. You can use the same kind of system on your computer so that you can find your working files. Once a project is complete, move it into an appropriate folder for retention.

Set up a system.

Use a planner to jot down your daily to-do list and schedule in any tasks that will take longer than 30 minutes to do. Prioritize each item so that you know what to work on, and make sure that you stick to the list. (Maintain some flexibility for emergencies, but make sure you get back to priorities as soon as possible.)

Do not save papers that you can easily find somewhere else.

Do not ask yourself, “Is there a chance I will need this someday?” because the answer is nearly always yes. Ask yourself, “If I know I need this, do I know how to find it?” One of our biggest time-wasters is searching for papers we know we have but we cannot find. If a piece of paper is important enough to save, it is important enough to file for retrieval.

Extra Information

One technique that we like is to use color coded folders for managing paper. If you put your current projects in a red or purple folder, let your colleagues know that they must not, under any circumstances, cover up a purple folder on your desk. That way you will always know where they are. Once you are finished with that particular project, move the contents to a permanent beige folder for storage, or have them scanned and filed on your computer in the appropriate place.

With electronic files we also recommend that you update the “properties” section of your documents. In that section, you can add keywords or tags as well as update the author’s name, and these functions will help enormously if you have to search for the file later.

Guidelines for Keeping a Piece of Paper

Am I going to need to refer to this later?

• YES: File it
• NO: Recycle it

Do I have a digital copy that will suffice?

• YES: Recycle it
• NO: File it

Is it directly related to me or will someone else have a copy that I can refer to?

• YES: Recycle it
• NO: File it

Do I need to keep this for legal reasons?

• YES: File it
• NO: Recycle it

Does it fit in my filing system?

• YES: File it
• NO: Recycle it

If I file it, will I be able to find it?

• YES: File it
• NO: Recycle it