I recently realized my desk was stressing me out. It was no longer a surface for working — instead, it had become a repository for junk mail, old assignments and unused freebies. Your desk should help you do your job, not hinder it. That's why mine just underwent a complete overhaul.
Here are three things you can do today to organize your desk for maximum efficiency. And they're totally free!
- Edit your supplies: It's easy to acquire an absurd number of pens, pencils and highlighters. They're given away everywhere and seem totally practical — so they're never thrown away. Grab every single writing utensil in your desk and select 10 that you actually like and use regularly. Give the rest away.
- Create a digital file cabinet: One of the biggest areas of stress for me was my file drawer. It was full of documents I hadn't looked at for 10 years. It can be intimidating, but the first step is to open the file and shred anything you don't absolutely need. Anything you do need, scan and put it in a folder on your computer called "File Cabinet." Within that file, you can create subfolders for your financial information, vehicles, and insurance, for example. Don't forget to back up this file to an external hard drive or to a cloud service like Google Drive.
- Put a stop to unsolicited mail: Junk mail was one of my biggest problems. I would throw it into my desk until one day I'd open the drawer and coupons for kebabs and life insurance offers would explode all over my floor. If this sounds familiar, the Federal Trade Commission has put together a list of ways you can stop most unsolicited mail. Some of the most frustrating mail for me was the endless credit card offers. By calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visiting optoutprescreen.com, you can stop all credit card and insurance offers for five years.
(Images: Gregory Han's Tech Tour, Nick Keppol's Tech Tour and Elizabeth Giorgi's desktop)
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Been meaning to do this at work *sigh*. Thanks for the CC linkage.
FYI: Libraries love donated pens. It helps them stretch their budget.
Your local library will probably welcome a donation of pens (in working order). Mine is usually very happy when I donate them, since they have plenty of pencils on hand but pens seem to walk away easily. :)
Nice tip!
I'm in a different league--I need a flamethrower.
Most donations many organizations receive are boxes of unsorted junk that people have thrown together just to get rid of it - and collect a receipt for taxes. Many organizations don't have time or people to sort through the rubble to pull out the useful things.
I've been helping my dad move from the house in which he's lived since 1965 into a smaller retirement apartment. The house was stacked to the rafters with useful things that he'd let pile up.
I sorted out tons of desk supplies into "office boxes": neatly organized boxes of pens, paper clips, erasers, labels, envelopes, rolls of tape, boxes of staples, etc. Then I donated them to various nonprofits, libraries, schools, and clubs around town. They were glad to receive a neatly packed box of useful things that they could use right away.
I think it was time and effort well spent.
Ooh, can anyone tell me where I can find that cabinet/desk in the top photo?
It's the rights half of Ikea's Besta desk:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00147356/#/50147354
I like to use the iphone app "paperkarma" to get rid of unwanted mail. It's free and so easy.
As a librarian: YESSSS!!! to the pen/useful supply donations. emphasis on useful. Pens, sticky notes/notepads, paper clips, staples, highlighters, etc.: all useful and appreciated. Giant box of random "office" junk that I have to weed through: more trouble than it's worth. the library does not need your old remote control and CD laser lens cleaner. Just no.
As an archivist: PLEASE don't scan everything important, toss originals, and call it a day. There are some things that need to be kept in hard copy, both for legal purposes and for safety. Hard drives fail ALL THE TIME (and so do internet connections and cloud services--remember MegaUpload?) and there are some instances where copies of documents are not acceptable (especially in legal situations). Photoshop is a thing and the bureaucrats are aware of it. If it's truly vital it deserves a bit of physical space in your home.
The NEDCC provides a nice explanation of what can happen to digital collections: http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets/6Reformatting/05DigitalPreservation.php
That post sounded a little bit more alarmist than I intended. To clarify: most things can live happily in digital form as long as they're cared for properly, but don't go overboard and try to have a completely paperless home/office. That's not wise.
I love that mouse pad! Does anyone know where I can get that mouse pad on the second desk?
Hi sqd_du! Im pretty sure its a cut pad, the ones you buy at the library store to cut cardboard or paper.
Junk mail for me is the easiest part, it never comes in the house. My mailbox is at the end of the driveway and while I walk back up the driveway I sort the mail and all the junk goes in the recycle bin in the garage. The good stuff is then sorted into his and hers and placed on the appropriate desk. Easy.
https://www.catalogchoice.org/ is a great way to reduce unwanted paper mailings
Douglas Adams posited that there was a wormhole in space that eventually sucked up all pens [and single socks] and deposited them elsewhere- at the other end of the wormhole was a man with a used pen store...
Thanks nati24k!
When I get a catalog in the mail I turn to the back and call the ordering phone number and ask to be removed . Works all the time.