We have a clear desk policy at work which means that every night we tidy our papers into a draw or cabinet. Every evening I store my work papers and work notes in a cabinet near to my desk. A few weeks ago I returned to work after the weekend to find that one of my notebooks had gone missing. This wasn’t terribly important in the great scheme of things, it only contained work jottings to remind me how to do things (process steps).
But where had it gone? I checked through my papers, my drawers, the cabinet where I had placed it, underneath the cabinets and drawers and also the trays of my colleague who files his papers next to mine each evening. I couldn’t find it anywhere.
A colleague double checked and couldn’t find it either. It left me with the disturbing feeling that perhaps I had done something strange with it. After a couple of days I arranged for an email to be sent out building wide to see if anyone had found it. I heard nothing.
Just before lunch time today, my colleague who files his papers next to mine and who also sits next to me exclaimed ‘Oh!! Look what I have found!!’ He was most startled to find my missing notebook in the bottom of his work trays. He was also a bit discomforted because some papers had gone from his bottom tray and that is how he noticed my notebook…
It seems the universe is still up to its tricks…
Strange happenings indeed!! Gosh, I just hate losing things especially when I know exactly where I left them! Glad the notebook finally turned up
We still have the mystery of where it had been all that time…
Sometimes things happen that are just inexplicable. It’s good news that the notebook was found in the end.
Yes strange things do happen and this one left me unsettled for a while. But all is well
Oh the little elves are working hard to tidy up your office every night!
They seem to be mischievous elves!!!
i can completely related to your feelings of discomfort. and as a matter of data protection, our work place has a rather structured view on what is public, internal and strictly confidential, etc.
Luckily this pad didn’t have anything in it like that. When I learn something new I put the work process steps in it and one or two other things just to jog me memory.
If it had been something more serious I would have made a lot of fuss about it!!
Not someone playing a practical joke I hope.
I don’t think so, that is highly unlikely. It is possible the notebook was there all along and none of us had noticed it. People keep shuffling things around in the cupboard…