How to work smart

**Justloadit** · 14-Dec-10, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Dave A

I've got a question or two on this.

Do they clear a space when they start something new or do they just start creating on top of all the mess?

And

How much lack of structure do they tolerate in the organisation around them when it comes to implementing the results of their brainstorm?

An interesting question Dave,

I usually have a 2 clean areas where I do my work, approximately 600 by 600mm, one technical and one paperwork area,however if something more important requires my attention, I usually move the stuff I am working on to a clear area on my work bench or desk, I have a number of workbench tops and 3 desks in two offices. Sometimes there is no open space, I usually place a divider board on top of an existing project on the table, and place the moved one on top. Once I have completed the urgent project, I move back in sequence. This can vary depending on the number of urgent projects.

The reason this type of process is followed, is that there is a limited number of people who can brainstorm and do problem solving, which means that they get overloaded, and in my case there is only one

. Adding into this mix is the day to day running of the business, and handling certain customer calls, payments verification of invoices, etc.

However, when it comes to my workshop, and production line, I demand order, cleanliness, procedure and a working system process. I like to see my products in different stages of manufacturing, in boxes, with a label indicating what it is, the number of units, and at what stage in production. So a quick walk through the production area, I have a good idea where everything is.

I have experimented with delegating a number of times, and it has created more problems than what they solved.

**Cathy Duncan** · 15-Dec-10, 07:19 AM

Well, you guys are right at your sides, but I am of the view that 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness.'

**flaker** · 18-Dec-10, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by adrianh

I don't agree with this. I think that many creative people are totally unstructured. My brother, a self made millionarre, has a BCOM LLB CA & MBA yet his hobby room is a total mess. He is one of the most creative people that I know. His boss is a billionarre and his house is even worse. My sister is an Actuary and her house is no better. Lateral thinking requires unrelated ideas to be brought together in obscure ways (kinda difficult to do when you are living a sterile life).

What works for some can't be turned into a general rule.

I'm totally disorganised and my paperwork leaves a lot to be desired. That said, i'm of the belief, & this is a personal belief, that working in a "structured" environment helps tremendously.So for most millionaires or billionaires or what ever i say that working slightly differently to above adds that extra 30-60% of what ever they're looking to achieve. I try lecturing to my son who battles with his year-end studies to work 'structurally" with discipline,time tables etc. That is half the secret to passing. I do admit,however, that there a handful that will always do things differently.

**Justloadit** · 18-Dec-10, 09:22 PM

Just a point of note, untidiness does not necessarily mean disorganized.

**Cathy Duncan** · 20-Dec-10, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by flaker

I'm totally disorganised and my paperwork leaves a lot to be desired. That said, i'm of the belief, & this is a personal belief, that working in a "structured" environment helps tremendously.So for most millionaires or billionaires or what ever i say that working slightly differently to above adds that extra 30-60% of what ever they're looking to achieve. I try lecturing to my son who battles with his year-end studies to work 'structurally" with discipline,time tables etc. That is half the secret to passing. I do admit,however, that there a handful that will always do things differently.

Yeah exactly, it is the scenario going on all over the globe.

**tim@taskwise** · 20-Dec-10, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by Justloadit

To me a very clean and tidy office shows me that the person who works in it has nothing to do, (no disrespect to you). So as you see an untidy place as disorganized I see a tidy place as some one who has no work, and why does he have no work?.

No problem no offence taken.

We run a very successful software company and I can assure you I have plenty to do on a daily basis. One of the directions we have tried to adopt as company policy is to create a paperless environment. A lot of my work is accomplished remotely, so the ability to access information via my computer is essential. I do except that due to the nature of some organisations workflow, that this is not always possible, but I do believe that a computer is a more efficient place to store and archive business information in comparison to a messy desk.

If we were to look at how much time is spent locating documents on a messy desk and multiple that over a working year, I am confident that the average person would find that they have probably spent the best part of a working week trying to find stuff, multiple this by 50 staff members and you have just lost a year of productivity.

**Dave A** · 20-Dec-10, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by tim@taskwise

If we were to look at how much time is spent locating documents on a messy desk and multiple that over a working year, I am confident that the average person would find that they have probably spent the best part of a working week trying to find stuff, multiple this by 50 staff members and you have just lost a year of productivity.

And it's any different when those documents are electronic? The amount of time I spend scratching around for files on my PC at times is beserk

**Justloadit** · 20-Dec-10, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by tim@taskwise

No problem no offence taken.

We run a very successful software company and I can assure you I have plenty to do on a daily basis. One of the directions we have tried to adopt as company policy is to create a paperless environment. A lot of my work is accomplished remotely, so the ability to access information via my computer is essential. I do except that due to the nature of some organisations workflow, that this is not always possible, but I do believe that a computer is a more efficient place to store and archive business information in comparison to a messy desk.

If we were to look at how much time is spent locating documents on a messy desk and multiple that over a working year, I am confident that the average person would find that they have probably spent the best part of a working week trying to find stuff, multiple this by 50 staff members and you have just lost a year of productivity.

Whilst I agree when you are referring to software, my software is well organized in my PC's, the problem is that the majority of staff cannot speak the English language, never mind spell, so it would be a mountainous task to get them to even find today's date on a PC screen, never mind a file somewhere on the hard drive by using the search function.

It is far easier to have a schematic on paper of an existing piece of equipment, with pen marks making corrections that exist on the PCB, than having a corrected drawing on a PC screen, in which you have no idea where the corrections are. It takes far longer to attempt this on a screen especially as most of the files are in its native format, or the closest being a PDF file.

As is usually said, different strokes for different folks.

It all depends in the kind of environment one works in. Try and repair a machine in the field, using a PC screen as your point of information where you may have 20 to 30 pages of schematics, one leading onto the next - virtually impossible.

**flaker** · 20-Dec-10, 10:45 PM

Am now trying to make sense of this thread.am i seeing in somebody's post that this is right and in another post that same is wrong or is it that my medication is now kicking in.....