Clutter comes in many forms -- physical, paper, digital, mental, etc. In this age of companies merging and reorganizing, clutter in businesses is rampant. Over and over we experience situations in which "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing!"
Today I received a letter from my mortgage company with a check for $657 saying that there was an excess in my escrow account. In the same letter, there was a message that my monthly payment is increasing by $12/mo. So wouldn't it be logical that the excess money in escrow could be used to pay the additional monthly fee?
Several months ago I received a refund check from my insurance company for $.04. (That's right! 4 cents!) Now, I'm impressed that they were so honest, but think what a wonderful marketing opportunity they missed by not sending the check for a larger amount -- or even a gift card!
Oh, I'm sure there's a legal "reason" for this -- but I'm also sure it's clutter in the workplace that could -- and should -- be eliminated.
I'm confident that one of the reasons situations like these occur is because employees are not encouraged to ask the question, "Why?" It's like the old story of the little girl who asked her mother why she cut the end off the ham before she baked it. "I don't know," said her mother. "Go ask Granny." The little girl ran in to see Granny and asked, "Granny, why do you cut the end off the ham before you bake it?" "Oh," replied Granny, "we never had a pan that was big enough!"
What systems clutter could you eliminate in your workspace?
Our Tame Your Paper Tiger Online Workshop can give you the first few steps toward clearing your systems clutter and creating new systems in your business that are current, so that employees always have the answer to the question, "Why?" Check out the description of the workshop, the schedule, and registration, all at http://www.TameYourPaperTiger.com. You will be so happy you made this decision!
In 1978, Barbara took out a $7 ad in a New York City newspaper to advertise her professional organizer business. For 20 years, she focused her business on organizing paper and physical clutter for home offices and organizations. Then the Internet Age came about, and she utilized her principles and expertise to help clients with digital clutter.
Over the past 40+ years Barbara has helped 1000's of companies, and became an icon and top expert in the industry. She has been featured on national media platforms such as Good Morning America, The Today Show and CNN Nightly News. She has also been showcased in publications including USA Today, New York Times, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple and Guideposts.
Barbara and her team teach business owners a 9-step system to go from overwhelmed to optimized. Step 1 is a free Assessment that can be found at https://productiveenvironment.com/pe-gameplan