Has your polished mahogany (or modular plastic) desk been buried for so long that you can't remember what your desk is made out of? If so, use these tips to clear yourself some space to work in, and stay on top of your most urgent action items. Get it VERTICAL! If you take a piece of paper and put it somewhere flat, it takes up almost a square foot of space. The instant that you put anything on top of it, you're halfway to compost. When you sort your paper into a vertical sorter, you can fit more than two reams of paper into that same square foot of physical space that just one piece of paper occupies! Try an escalating wire-sorter, which makes a visual to-do list out of multiple files. It "climbs" so the top of each file sticks up above the one in front of it and makes them all easily visible. Use several sorters to improve fingertip access to your information: People, Projects and Meetings. Does it really belong on your desk? The only things that are on top of my desk: computer monitor, desk caddy, phone and message book, and the stapler. Strive for nothing else on your desktop unless you're working on it that day. Making Room on Your Desk Ditch those coffee cups of pens/pencils and use one desk caddy, which spins around for easy access. If you took all the basic tools that fit in the desk caddy and spread them on your desk it takes up two square feet. The desk caddy footprint only uses eight inches squared. If you like spreading out big projects, you can pick up the desk caddy, take it into another room, spread out your materials, and you've got an instant "office". Desk Drawers Equal Action Drawers Get an in-drawer tray organizer for your desk tools instead of a desk caddy. When you sit down at your desk, just leave the top 'bureau' drawer open so your tray is available while you're working. In the second "bureau" drawer, keep a calculator, a tray for expenses, business cards, or stamps; all the things you use frequently. My Action Drawer Categories: Business, Finances, Clients, Networks, Product, and Personal. Your categories are for the files that you're into on a daily basis. Keeping Your Desk Clear 1. Don't let it land on your desk unless it's an action item. Keep an inbox for mail and a 'to be filed' sorter away from your desktop. 2. Keep your Action files vertical and labeled, so you can see what you need to do today. 3. When you finish with any piece of paper, move it out of your Action Zone. Put it into your file sorter, or recycle it. 4. Check out the cost-effective Home and Small Business File Kits that I use in my own business, which makes it easy for me to guarantee your satisfaction at www.Organizer-Extraordinaire.com Enjoy getting control over your desk again! If you like, sign up for more time-saving tips at http:///www.Organizer-Extraordinaire.com 10 Easy Tips for Digging Out Your Desk Today
by Eve Abbott, the Organizer Extraordinaire
Excerpts from her new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain"TM |
