Desk for Success

Admit it – your workspace could use a facelift.

With Spring on the horizon, there’s no better time to rejuvenate your office space.

Personal organization expert Jennifer Ford Berry offers her top tips for dressing your desk for success.

Showcase personal photos. “Adding a few personal photos is a great way to personalize your office and jump start conversations with colleagues – but be cautious about displaying too many. Too many personal mementos can make coworkers perceive you as unprofessional and can be distracting,” says Berry.

Start and end with a “tabula rasa” each day. That’s Latin for blank slate. Make a point to leave your space neat and organized by day’s end. Top business leaders, such as Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald, are known to clear their desk completely before heading home.

“While you may not need to go that far,” Berry says, “all files and desk items should be put back in their ‘home’ before checking out.”

Stylish desk organizers are perfect for miscellaneous items; and, sites like Seejanework.com and decorateyourdesk.com are great for inspiration.

Consider going paperless. Trade in your piles of to-do lists and legal pads for an iPad or tablet at work. You can use an application like Evernote to keep track of meeting notes and upcoming tasks – and it’s a lot more streamlined and compact. One caveat: stick to work-related iPad activities, says Berry. “It’s easy to get sidetracked with social media or personal email.”

PINK Minute Mentor: Proctor & Gamble’s Teri List-Stoll offers tips on how to jump off the sidelines and get into the game.

Bonus PINK Link: Is friendly competition the reason you’re still in debt?

What inspires you to be more productive at work?

By Debra Shigley

Debra is a former employment attorney turned host of Deb’s Kitchen and author of The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide. You can visit her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @Debrashigley.

“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than the person to be loved.” Barbara Johnson