By Holly Uverity, CPO®, Office Organizers
Getting organized is a process; your clutter didn’t accumulate overnight so it can be an unrealistic expectation to think that you can get organized all at once.
A better way to tackle your clutter is to start small and work on one area or one concept at a time. An object in motion tends to stay in motion so if you spend just a few minutes working on your organizing project, you’ll find that you will be motivated to continue.
Following are 7 ways you can immediately eliminate some of the visual clutter on your desk; having a clearer desk by removing these objects will provide you with the motivation you need to keep going on to larger tasks.
- Remove Sticky Notes. One of the biggest causes of visual clutter on a desk is sticky notes. The sheer number of sticky notes on desks, computers, keyboards, and random pieces of paper is enough to make any desk look disorganized – even if it isn’t. Sticky notes are designed for temporary information or information that is leaving your office. You should have a stack of sticky notes in your desk but use them judiciously and not for everything. They are not scratch paper.
- Remove Memo Pads and Notepads. Not unlike sticky notes, memo pads contribute greatly to visual clutter on a desk. Small, memo-sized sheets of paper all look the same and it can be difficult to find the one sheet of paper that has the information you need when you need it. Many clients are gifted with personalized memo pads and feel guilty if they don’t use them. If you want to use your personalized memo pad, use it to write notes to other people and not yourself.
- Remove Pens with Caps. This is simple; stop buying pens with caps and only buy click type pens. If you have no pens with caps, you will never have caps and dried out pens all over your desk. This includes both highlighters and permanent markers; they make them in the click style also.
- Remove Multiple Calendars. Clients are often gifted with calendars and feel compelled to keep them even if they can’t use them. An organized person uses one calendar – whether it’s paper or electronic – so if you have multiple calendars, pick the one you like the best and keep all of your appointments and tasks on that one. Eliminate the rest from your office.
- Remove Envelopes. Unless there is a convincing (typically legal) reason to keep envelopes, pitch them. They serve no purpose but clutter your desktop. When mail is opened, it’s not uncommon for envelopes to be simply tossed aside and they then become part of the visual clutter on your desk. Create a new habit – if you don’t need an envelope, pitch it immediately and if you do need it, staple it to the document so it doesn’t get lost.
- Remove Spindles/Giant Paper Clips. Spindles and giant paper clips are dust collectors unless they are cleaned off on a routine basis – and they typically aren’t. They are usually meant to serve a specific purpose but they get cluttered quickly and lose their purpose. The only information seen is whatever is on the top of the spindle or in the front of the giant clip and all the information you’ve ‘saved’ is virtually lost. There are better ways to keep information than stuck on a spindle.
- Remove Loose Receipts. I find receipts scattered on desks all the time and this is a pretty easy fix. Just designate one place to literally dump all your receipts and when you get ready to deal with them, they will all be in that one spot. That spot doesn’t have to be super organized; you can just throw them in a file, in a drawer, in an envelope, or a tray; anywhere but sprinkled all over your desk.
By taking a few minutes and removing these objects from your desk, you are one step closer to a more organized, effective, and efficient workspace.
Office Organizers, founded 1993 by Holly Uverity, is The Entrepreneur’s Organizer. They work with business people to create solutions for their organizational challenges. Contact them at 281-655-5022, www.OfficeOrganizers.com, or www.fb.com/OfficeOrganizers.
