European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Taming a a an out of control desks amps. Peter Jaeger by Jack Lesar United press International if you cant remember the last time you actually saw your desktop chances Are you suffer from what management training guru Dan stamp Calls Quot desk stress Quot a a debilitating ailment that undermines productivity and erodes peace of mind. Stamp is founder and president of priority management systems an International franchise operation that teaches managers How to make the most of their time. The company with 250 offices in 12 countries and Headquarters in Bellevue Wash., has trained some 450,000 people from Fortune 500 companies to Small businesses Quot we do surveys of people we work with to find out what causes problems in their lives. Out of that we Learned. The average person has 36 hours of work on their desk that they expect to get through that Day and they typically have 90 minutes of discretionary time in which to do it,11 stamp said in an interview from his Vancouver British Columbia office. Quot As a consequence they set themselves up for an enormous failure every Day because they can never get through All they expected to. Their desk becomes a Symbol to them of a general malaise. They feel overworked tired and Defeated Quot he said. Quot that s Why we coined the phrase a desk stress Quot stamp estimated desk stress sufferers spend three hours a week just looking for things on their heaped Over desks and additional hours sorting through the same things Over and Over because they never put them away. In addition they re constantly distracted by stacks of unfinished work which causes a feeling of discouragement that drains Energy and productivity. The treatment said stamp is drastic a nothing Short of a search and destroy Mission. Quot first of All get rid of everything Quot said stamp. Quot take absolutely everything off your desk a pictures reference books magazines everything a so you can see the readers action line Severance pay and involuntary separation it a l was released from Active duty oct. T. 1990, under the reduction in Force program at fort Lewis Wash. Since i was released before the Severance pay Bill was approved i did not receive any information or guidance on my eligibility for Severance pay i recently had an appointment with a jag lawyer but he said he was not Able to help me on that subject matter because he was not too up on the Issue. I be read in the september Issue of the army times that the services have begun paying Severance pay to eligible Force outs. My Only question is do you know who and where i could Call and write to for More information about my eligibility for receiving Severance pay Walter r. Adams Wurzburg Germany Beautiful Wood or Metal. Quot this Job will take anywhere from two hours to two Days. But for most people in two hours they can operate in an entirely different Way Quot he said. That done it s time to Deal with the things that once cluttered the desktop. Stamp prescribes what he Calls the four is a do it Delegate it decide when you re. Going to do it or destroy it. Quot the first d is easy. Just get up and do it now Quot said stamp. As for delegating stamp suggests doing it in writing and notes that work can be delegated Quot upward sideways and  Quot it s sometimes easiest to Delegate upward Quot he said. Quot some Bosses Are so Power crazed they will take on More than they  you a victim Dan stamp president and founder of priority management systems a worldwide management training franchise suggests the following test to determine your desk stress quotient score one Point for each yes answer 1. Are there More than 10 items on your desk right now 2. Are there More than three files or projects on your desk 3. Do you have an in Basket on your desk 4. Do you leave work on your desk in separate piles 5. Have you been unable to find something on your desk in the past week 6. Do co workers hesitate to put important documents on your desk fearing you la lose them 7. Do you have a pile of unfinished Reading within eyesight 8. Are you known for having a Messy desk a maj. John w. Brassier personnel policy officer office of the Deputy chief of staff personnel Usa eur replies separation pay is authorized for qualified enlisted soldiers who have been involuntary separated from the army since nov 5, 1990. A Soldier separated since june 20, 1991, May receive full separation pay if denied re enlistment or subject to a reduction in Force. To be eligible a Soldier must have served at least six years on Active duty and be involuntarily separated with an honorable or general discharge. Full separation pay is computed As 10 percent or 12 times the monthly base pay at separation multiplied by the years of Active duty. A Soldier May receive half separation pay one half of a full payment if denied re enlistment or separated As a result of amp Quality management program local bar to re enlistment homosexuality or drug or alcohol rehabilitation failure the six year Active duty and those two Steps stamp said should produce a stack Quot anywhere from an Inch to several feet High that you la have to decide to do something with in the future or  the fourth d a destroy it a is easiest and often most fulfilling. _ Quot if you use the last d first it makes the Job easier Quot stamp observed. But some things must be done. So the third d a deciding when to do it a is a Central element of stamp s plan for organizing work. It requires setting a specific Date and recording it on what stamp Calls an Quot activity  activity pages a one for each Day of the month a Are kept in a single place like an organizer. They contain Brief entries listing work to be done on a Given Date. Once a project is logged into the activity Book for future action the corresponding papers should be placed in one of three hanging files. Quot Label one correspondence faxes a letters and faxes to which you must reply. The second one is Reading a magazines and things you have to read. The third one is projects miscellaneous this would be a kind of ongoing projects file like writing a report building a Bridge designing an automobile he said. Quot those three files will literally handle every conceivable bit of information coming across a person s desk Quot he said. But the files must be kept in Arm s reach preferably in a desk drawer stamp said. Otherwise they probably won t be used. Then it s just a matter of consulting your activity Page every Day to see what you re supposed to do then getting the work out of the appropriate file and doing it. Keeping a tidy desk a and staying productive a is As simple As spending a few minutes every Day applying the four Dos to whatever crosses your desk. Quot you done to have to be a rocket scientist. All you have to do is spend two hours to clean off your desk that two hour investment will be Worth an extra Day a week in productive time Quot he said. Quot but Quot he warned Quot most people wont do it because they Don t look two hours ahead any time in their  desk stress 9, can other people find items on your desk if you Arentt there 10. Do you clean off your desk before you leave for the Day if you scored 7-10 Points. Quot if desk stress were a medical condition Quot says stamp Quot you d be in intensive care. Your Messy desk is hampering your productivity and could affect How you Are regarded by others in your workplace. Change your habits before you get left  4-6 Points. Quot you May not have the messiest desk in the office but you re still a desk stress candidate a says stamp. A a you re wasting valuable time and Energy because of your Messy desk get organized and take control of your physical working  1-3 Points. Quot you be conquered desk stress Quot says stamp. Quot either by habit or by training you have Learned the benefits of a clean desk and you enjoy the improved productivity and peace of mind that comes with  a up honorable or general discharge requirements also apply to half separation pay. For the Reader to be absolutely sure he receives All entitled benefits he should Contact the personnel or transition Center where he was separated. To write us readers action line is the readers a court of last resort striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apo a 09211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes monday january 27, 1992