Ok, it's time to tame that messy desk....
Here are twelve quick desk organization tips. These are things that have worked well for me and help me maintain an organized desk (most of the time). Most of them are probably applicable to others as well. If you have any suggestions of items to add please add them to the comments.
1) Get rid of pens and pencils you don’t need.
I have two types of pens I like to use, but every month or so my pencil holder gets filled up with other random writing instruments. If you aren’t going to use it, don’t feel bad about throwing it out. It is just clutter. The less clutter you have, the closer you are to having an organized desk.
2) Have a place for pocket stuff.
All the “stuff” should have a home. We women have our purses we keep all the stuff in, but men need a place for the stuff. I highly recommend a charging station. They can be purchased at stores like Office Depot, Staples, and Marshall’s. Many that I have seen offer a drawer that works great for keys, wallet, and all the lose change men come home with. ☺
3) Proximity based on frequency of use.
If you use it every day, it should be closer than something you use only a few times each week. This is common sense, but it is easy to arrange are desk for aesthetics instead of usefulness. This helps you keep an organized desk because items are located closer to you based on the probability that you will use them so fewer items need to be moved around where they can become disorganized.
4) Move electronics out of sight.
Your cable modem, wireless router, firewall, battery backup, etc. shouldn’t be on your desk. Even if you have enough room in introduces visual clutter. Once again, cutting down on clutter reduces the amount of work between a messy desk and an organized desk.
5) Easy to access files.
Without moving your chair or getting up, you should be able to grab an unused manila folder, label it and put it in your file cabinet. Easy filing is one cornerstone of good organization. The more effort it requires the more difficult it will be to stay organized.
6) Scanning documents.
This is something I’m experimenting with. I have a scanner and I’ll turn important documents into PDFs, and keep them on my computer. I use OCR so the documents are searchable. This is wonderful if you travel a lot because it keeps everything right there with you. The problem is trying to figure out what to scan and what can just be filed.
7) Cleaning supplies.
Keeping an organized desk clean helps you maintain the organization. If you clean your desk with Windex and a paper towel, make sure you have some nearby. This will help encourage you to wipe down your work surface, which will encourage you to clean it off more often. It is all about making things as easy for you as possible.
8) Scratch notepad.
During the course of the day, you will have telephone numbers, names, and addresses, order confirmations, flight numbers, etc. If you can keep these all in one place, you’ll be far more productive if you need to look something up later. I have the bad habit of grabbing a nearby envelope and writing a telephone number on it. By keeping a notebook, specifically for these types of items, I don’t lose nearly as many things. The Franklin Planner method is to keep all of this info in the diary page of the planner, which is probably an even better option.
9) Organize those wires.
It is easy to have half your desk covered with wires for various pieces of electronics. Moving some stuff off your desk can help. Some pieces of Velcro wrapped around wires can go a long ways toward cleaning things up. Also make sure that you have wires that are long enough to tuck out of the way. If they are too short you won’t be able to arrange them neatly. Sometimes wireless is an option. With more and more devices supporting bluetooth and WiFi, you may be able to get rid of some wires simply by enabling the wireless settings. It is hard to keep an organized deskwork surface when you are looking at a rats nest.
10) If you don’t have enough drawers.
To compensate, I’ve brought in a dresser for storage. I also use bookshelves with a bunch of boxes with lids to help give me some more drawer like storage. I have a two-drawer file cabinet that slides under my desk to help make better use of the space.
11) Lighting.
Make sure you have enough light on your desk. Maybe it is just me, but a bright work area is easier to keep clean than a dark one.
12) Organize as you go.
It is more efficient to stay organized as you work instead of trying to do it all at the end. You should be constantly working on keeping your desk neat. If it gets disorganized in the middle of a big project, take small steps. Clear a 1 foot by 1 foot area before you leave for the day. Make a small effort toward organization may not seem like much, but if you do it everyday, it will keep things headed in the right direction for you.
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