As you can see from the above image, my desk really is quite a bit of a mess. In an attempt to get my workspace to a more efficient and tidy place, I looked through our archives to get inspired. I've taken what I've learned and broken it down into 5 steps — now if I could just follow them consistently I'd be all set…
5 Steps to a Cleaner & Tidier Desk:
1. Toss Stuff You Don't Need. This might seem like a no brainer, but reading the tips in this post about cleaning your desk in 5 minutes, I realize that this one has the biggest impact and is probably the one I do the least. By consistently tossing papers and other items that I don't need, I'll keep them from accumulating to clutter up my desk.
2. Place Important Tasks at Eye Level. Instead of lining up post-its filled with tasks on the surface of my desk, I'd do well to heed Laura's advice and to place them at eye level. This will help to remove more items from the desk surface and will keep to-dos from getting ignored as the papers pile up.
3. Prioritize the Top Drawer. By following Mike's lead and putting items that were on the surface of my desk in the top drawer, I would not only save quite a bit of space but it would also most likely cut down on the, ahem, borrowing of my stapler.
4. Purge the Drawers. Speaking of drawers, purging and organizing is key to having a cleaner desk. If the surface is clean but the drawers are messy, disorganized chaos, how is this better? My desk drawers are in need of some serious purging, stat!
5. Break Out the Organizing Accessories. If after following the first 4 tips I still fall short of my organizing goals, perhaps it's time to consider some desk organizing solutions like the ones in this post? Of course, being the thrifty gal that I am, I'm more likely to use some of these great inexpensive ideas from Taryn.
(Images: Joelle Alcaidinho)
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...My desk is currently adorned with post-it notes. On the plus side it does form a handy layer of protection from coffee stains on the table.
Right now my desk looks like an episode of hoarders exploded onto it. It drives my husband crazy how messy it is!
My laptop is precariously balanced on top of a 3 inch stack of bills, kid art, magazines & concert tickets. There are several cookbooks spread out for "inspiration", a magazine file filled to the brim. Ugh. Gotta tackle it today.
You had me at the Pantone mug.
Also: cut down on the paper clutter that comes into your home in the first place! Check out these resources:
http://puresolutionsprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/12/marketing-calls-and-junk-mail-1.html
And the "Back to School/College" sale items at Target, Christmas Tree Shops, Staples are fantastic. Much better time to stock up on file holders, bins, and shelving than when stores do "Get Organized" sales.
You hit on the key in your 3rd sentence. Without a vision, motivation, and discipline, a tip - no matter how good - will only result in self-judgment.
What would your desk look like if you arranged it the way you truly want it to be? What's a 1-minute action you can take right now to move you one step closer to that?
This sounds silly, but I never know what to do with desk drawers, not the filing ones, the others. They usually don't seem to be a good size for organizing anything that I keep on my desk. I usually have one that I put some type of organizing tray in for small items (paper clips, etc.), but I end up just stuffing papers and such in the others. Very dissatisfying. Any ideas?
One a side note, as someone who's laptop was ruined last year after an accidental spill, I get nervous just looking at your coffee mug put so close to both your computer and heavier items that could easily tip the mug over! 6th step of organization: safe, stable place for coffee mugs, away from the computer!
I keep a bin for paper recycling under my desk. When it's easy to get rid of unnecessary paperwork I do it more often. I am also blessed with a large drawer and I keep a bottle of unscented spray cleaner (Method) in it. When I'm sitting there and see water or coffee rings on my desk I can clean it up right away.
Make your filing system easily accessible. As soon as you finish something, file it away. You'll get the double satisfaction of having it done, and having it organized, thus motivating you to finish things early on.
Things that are "on hold" because they have to be are put in a letter tray, organized chronologically.
My personal *cheap* system is to use small terracotta ramekins to store paperclips and pins etc. I keep them in a shoe-box lid so I can easily move them in & out of their drawer or to another room in my apartment. Not the best looking system ever but it is quick and easy to access things when I'm in OCD organisation mode. If I'm in procrastination mode, I take the ramekins out of the shoe-box lid and it looks great along the back of the desk.
By *cheap* I mean that I already had the ramekins, and as you'd expect I never used them in the kitchen.
My desk at home is a cluttered mess. I come home, drop a couple things on to it and run back out. By the end of the week, I don't know wth happened. My desk at work is completely different though. If my laptop is put away, it has my phone and a couple cables (power, lock) on it and that is it.
My biggest challenge are papers that pile up because I'll need for something down the line. I solved this problem a few months ago with a bunch of Ikea magazine files -- each one labeled for a different topic, and tucked away in an Expedit unit next to my desk. That way if I'm looking for the latest coupon to a home design store or travel itineraries related to a work trip that is coming up, I need only pull out the relevant magazine file. I also have Ikea boxes for all the papers that my kids bring home from school that I want to keep -- drawings, poems, whatever. Everything gets tossed into the box labeled with the kid's name the minute it comes home. This has helped cut down on the paper piles in a big way.