Obsolete: No longer useful or relevant. Out of date. No longer useful and replaced by something else. No longer being produced. No longer produced and not replaced by anything else.

Obsolete hardware and software…no longer supported when you need help. Update (replace it) or it may fail you.

Obsolete inventory refers to inventory at the end of its life cycle. It is unlikely to be sold and typically is written off the company’s books – sometimes at a large loss.

Obsolete workplace items include rolodexes for storing business cards and contact information (all in our phones now!); fax machines (our printers now scan items and we attach the files to emails); and printed phone books (everything is online).

Obsolete work furnishings. Some argue that a desk that won’t raise for standing work and lower for seated work is obsolete. Conference room set-ups are gone from some workplaces because the expectation is that people will work in groups while in café style sitting areas or even out of the office at a nearby coffee shop. Printer stands no longer exist because shared printers have their own stations – rather like copy-rooms of old.

Obsolete job lists can be found online too. Jobs that used to be in daily action or job descriptors that are gone or largely gone include: costermonger (fruit seller); chiffonier or peruker (wigmaker); duffer (a peddler); eggler (an egg seller); fletcher (makes arrows); higgler (peddler of dairy products); muleskinner (wagon driver); ripper (a fish seller); and slopseller (sells ready-made clothing).

Obsolete items as collector’s items. Telephones, reference books, and other workplace items that are obsolete have become collector’s items.

Contemporary, current, modern, new, and up to date are all the opposite of “obsolete”. To be modern implies that the item or work is not obsolete. We may not like the new or obsolete work or item, however someone does.

Obsolete and new items as junk and clutter. Whether at work or at home, saved and collected items can become clutter in our workspaces. Clutter brings an energy drain to our work area. Regain your workplace energy by removing the clutter and obsolete items.

What obsolete items can you get rid of today?

Workplace: Managing the moments of our day-to-day business lives takes work. Together, let’s explore    what issues and activities affect us every day (or some days) that we go to work. – Jana

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