Even if your boss is Michael Scott, there must be a reason they have that position and you don’t. Some of us may have many more skills than our boss, much more knowledge, etc, but how come they have their position and we have ours? What skills or traits gave them the opportunity for the job and not us?

There are two scenarios we may find our selves in – we are very similar to our boss, or completely different from them.

If you find that you are actuality very similar to your boss, you might get some great perspective by figuring out why. What exactly is holding you back from being more successful? Is it fear? Is it your education, experience? By finding those minute differences, you might find it very easy to obtain what you lack. Maybe it’s as simple as a couple classes, or knowing the right people. Whatever it might be, when we reduce it in this way, we can see clearly what we need to get to the next level.

Sometimes, however the differences may be large, you may be completely different than your boss? What can you glean from your boss then? In this case, I might ask if I was in the right industry, or the right area of that industry. If I was that different than my boss, I would have to wonder if I was really pursing something I’m passionate about. If I really have the desire to move forward and become more successful at what I’m doing, I have to have at least have some similarity with my boss.

Even if our boss is a micro-managing bozo, there must be some reason (even if it’s just plain luck) they have their position and we have ours. What’s holding us back from finding those differences and overcoming them?

Some of the highlights:

• Left 2 windows are a windows XP machine
• Middle computer is MacBook Pro, my main machine.  I control the windows XP machine from this using Synergy.  (a Great! tool)
• Right most monitor is just a spare connected to the laptop to give me some more monitor real estate.
• I often use the windows computer for email (Outlook), because it’s faster, and I can keep it open on the screen second from the left.
• I use the windows XP machine to test and look at websites in IE.
• I like using OS X for programming, because apache/php/mysql come standard, along with emacs.

“After spending the past 12 years in …, I’ve moved …

This allowed my team to expand their work area…

As we all do, my staff endured some very tight working conditions and I want to thank and recognize their patience. They made the best of what we had to work with overall and I do appreciate it. We didn’t have enough desks which caused us to share frequently and deliveries would cause a lot of additional congestion in the office.

This change greatly improves their working conditions and allows for better access.”

…

So as the quote from my supervisor above points out, we got more space in our office, and for me personally that meant pretty much doubling my cubicle size – Yay! But the coolest thing about the change:

Taking everything out of my cubicle, and putting it back in again.

Yes, taking everything out, and putting it back in again was the best part of this move. Why? Because I love the opportunity to go through and purge almost everything on my desk. For the same reason, I almost enjoy moving – almost! ☺
It was great to go through stuff, to clean off empty desktop space, throw away stuff I don’t use, etc. Before putting everything back, I was able to clean the whole space, and even better only put back stuff that I really used. Similar to this great article over at zenhabits, the idea is to get ride of everything that isn’t essential. Here’s a simple 3-step plan for moving (or cubicle upgrading):

1. Take Away Everything.
Put it in boxes, move it to another area, just get it out of the way. Doesn’t matter how organized or unorganized it is, just get it out of it’s original spot, and leave the original spot completely empty.

2. Clean The Original Spot.
This could be your house, your room, your closet, your cubicle, etc. It doesn’t matter. Just make sure that the original space is completely clear of extraneous objects, and then clean it. Vacuum the floor, 409 the shelves, glass-cleaner the glass. ☺ You get the idea.

3. Put Your Stuff Back
This is the essential component. Only put back stuff that is absolutely necessary. Take some time to look and contemplate each object you put back in the space. Is it necessary? Is it essential? Does it have to be right in arms reach, or is it something less used, that perhaps could go in a cabinet or drawer. Chances are, you’ll be throwing away a lot of stuff. I usually use the 1-year rule: if I haven’t used or even thought about it in a year, I don’t’ need or use it. Then you have the option to either chuck it or Ebay it.

At the end of this process, you’re aim is to have a new space. New in the sense that it doesn’t contain any clutter, it’s clean, and it’s free from any extraneous stuff. The goal is that with this new space, you’re more productive, and happier. Trust me, less clutter, and more open space, is a huge weight off you’re shoulders. You might be surprised at just how good you feel in a clean, clutter-less space.

Happy moving! ☺