I’m packing up my desk this evening.
Don’t be alarmed – I’m not going anywhere. Well, technically I am going somewhere – a new office, a new desk. A new beginning. When Matter gets back from our holiday break, I’ll be in new digs.
Yes, we all know the old wisdom of starting off fresh in the new year. Resolutions to lose weight, call your mom more, drop bad habits. How about a resolution to start with a clean slate? Try to lower the pressure a bit on all those grand expectations.
At the office, there’s no real clean slate. We have projects that carry over, indifferent of dates, relationships that continue through holidays, a to-do list that remains on your desk while you’re gone and greets you next Monday morning. But what we can do is use the time off around the holidays to help re-set ourselves. Just a simple act of cleaning out one’s desk, as I’m finding out right now, can help cleanse the palate. I think you’ll agree that reducing clutter on your computer’s desktop is a little bit liberating. Re-write that to-do list in a fancy pen, clean the dust off your keyboard, buy a new calendar, clean out your email. All these things are little deposits into our personal bank of sanity and energy.
When you get back, enjoy your nice clean desk. Use that clean slate to re-set goals, update lists, get organized. You’ll be more productive, rested, and ready to meet and exceed the expectations of 2010. Your clients will appreciate it as much as you will.
So, hurry – there’s only a week or so left to get things in order for next year. Wrap up those reports and freshen up your workspace and tools. What are you going to do to clean out the proverbial closet?
Me? I’ll be at my new, clean desk, ready to roll.