When your desk is a disaster...
Whether it’s been a disaster forever or just a week, a cluttered desk is a serious impediment to accomplishing any kind of meaningful work. Seeing a desk with piles of papers and stuff is the worst motivation and creativity block.
Plus it’s a reminder of what you have NOT done.
Follow these steps to transform your desk from disaster to dream. Getting organized in your home or office requires two main objectives:
deciding what you need to keep
determining where to keep it
Take those piles on your desk or floor or chair and sort them into categories. They could be:
papers that need to be filed
pictures that need a home
child’s schoolwork that will eventually go back to class
empty coffee cups (just take those to the kitchen)
bills that need to be paid or filed
trash/shred/recycle
does not belong in this room
Take the items that do not belong in the room out. Even if they’re in a pile outside the door, just get them out since they don't need to be included in the organization process.
Toss the trash and take the recycling to its bin. Put the shredding in a box to take out or to shred later.
Once you’ve categorized everyhting, you’re ready for the next step: determine where it should go.
Now, let’s make decisions on where you are going to store what’s left.. Where you store something should be close to where you use it. For example, store your extra printer paper, ink cartridges, and instructions near the printer. Store stationery and stamps close to where you write letters.
Papers that you need to keep like invoices, medical records, client files or anything else from that category should be stored in a drawer or plastic bin with a hanging file.
When you sit at your desk, you should be able to easily reach anything you might need on a daily basis. This means pads of paper, pens, calendar and glasses should be stored in a top drawer or where you can reach them without getting up.
If you sit at your desk to file papers, your filing cabinet should be close as well. Maybe that means a credenza with a lateral file behind your desk, a desk drawer, or a portable file box that is stored under your desk.
If you have drawers to store supplies, spark some joy by getting those in order, too. Clean out those drawers of anything that no longer serves you. This could include stubby pencils, pens without ink, illegible receipts, stretched out rubber bands and other trash.
That pile of business cards you’ve been collecting since the last decade? Connect with the people on social media and then toss the card.
Create a list of all of the supplies you need to order so that you know exactly what to pick up at the store or get them delivered to you. Think about drawer dividers to store office supplies, hanging files, vertical file holders and bulletin boards.
Knowing where things are is half the battle in life. When you spend time looking for things, you’re NOT spending time on high value thinking. If you have to look multiple places for one thing, you’re wasting valuable time. Not to mention mental energy.
Being organized is knowing what you have and where to find it. Now is the perfect time to FINALLY put those systems in place that will pay off for you later.
