Decorating Your Desk - Part 1

I like the cast!

Hi,

thanks guys, I really liked your advice. At first I thought this is a bit over the top, but after I tried it, I feel the good energy cominevery morning when I come to my desk.

And.. it is really true: Now the cleaners do not ignore my desk any longer!

I like the cast!

Hi,

thanks guys, I really liked your advice. At first I thought this is a bit over the top, but after I tried it, I feel the good energy cominevery morning when I come to my desk.

And.. it is really true: Now the cleaners do not ignore my desk any longer!

I like the cast!

Hi,

thanks guys, I really liked your advice. At first I thought this is a bit over the top, but after I tried it, I feel the good energy coming every morning when I come to my desk.

And.. it is really true: Now the cleaners do not ignore my desk any longer!

Revenge - Calendars - Dilbert - Dumping Ground

 The phrase "Revenge is a dish best served cold", which Mark paraphrases and says is a Vulcan phrase, is actually Klingon.  Mostluy used in the third incarnation (Deep Space 9) and the later films.  Yes I am a High-C, however did you guess.  :-)

Something I didn't hear in the list of permissable items that I see a lot is calendars.  More desk calendars than wall calendars, but that's probably because we tend to have serried rows of desks with low partitions between facing desks (or no partitions at all).  Are these OK (presuming that any pictures on them fit in with the rule about pictures)?  On the one hand most, if not all, of us have a calendar on our PC with all of our appointments in.  On the other it's not always as easy to check that when we just quickly need to know what the date of the second Friday in August is.

On a, tenuously, related note to calendars and picking up what was said in the cast about the inadvisability of Dilbert cartoons, what do you do if your manager gives you as a gift something related to Dilbert or that could be seen as similarly derogatory.  I have twice recieved as a gift a Dilbert 'Page-A-Day' desk calendar (where you rip off the previous day to reveal today's strip).  The first time was from my bosses bosses boss because I'd resolved a potentially sticky situation before it got to him so saving him from a very unpleasent meeting with his boss (and some negative press).  The second was from my bosses boss who was giving the whole team presents as thanks for going way over the call of duty to deliver some important projects on time.  In each case I put the calendar on my desk and used it.  Does the "It was a present from my boss and I want to show how much I appreciate it" trump "Don't have a Dilbert (or equivalent) strip on your desk"?

A problem I have at the moment is that my boss tends to use my desk as a dumping ground for papers.  I currently have two bosses, depending on which day of the week it is, and two desks for the two projects I'm working on.  They both have an annoying habit of using my desk as a dumping ground for papers, reports and anything else they don't immediately need on their desks.  Both of them are very High-I (one is High-I/High-D the other High-I/High-S) and have desks smothered in paper.  Currently the only thing I can really do is to periodically go through the stacks and ask if they're still needed or if I can put them in the recycling.  It's rare that something is still needed.  Any suggestions or should I just live with it until these projects come an end?

 Stephen

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Skype: stephenbooth_uk  | DiSC: 6137

"Start with the customer and work backwards, not with the tools and work forwards" - James Womack

Photos of desks

In the cast, Mark suggests we post pictures of our desk for comment, this is mine.

On my desk I have my laptop, keyboard, mouse, mouse mat, external monitor, desk phone, work mobile, mug (we don't have set breaks during the day so get a drink when we want one), notebook, telephone message pad, a couple of Post-It note pads, box of tissues (I had a bit of a cold on that day), packet of breath mints and a USB Hub.  If I need to work on something not on my PC I just move my keyboard, mouse, mouse mat and post-it note pads to the clear area on the right of the desk.  Most of my work is on the PC, even if I'm on the phone to someone or talking to someone in person we're probably discussing something I'm looking at on my screen.  The desk opposite mine (which you can just see at the top of the photo) belongs to my manager.

My desk at the other office I'm based at is similarly laden but is harder to keep tidy as I have other people on three sides (to my right is my boss, to my left is my bosses boss and opposite is a contractor) with not partitions.  I tend to find items creeping in from each side.  It doesn't help that that desk is somewhat smaller than the desk shown in the photo.

I tend to keep my PC desktop organised as well.  Where possible icons go into folders orgsanised by function.  In the photo the stuff you see on the right of the screen is the company mandated wallpaper which displays some technical information about the machine (for when a support person needs to remotely connect) and an advert for the local council's adoption service.

 Stephen

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Skype: stephenbooth_uk  | DiSC: 6137

"Start with the customer and work backwards, not with the tools and work forwards" - James Womack