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An Organized Desk

Keeping your desk organized can be a struggle.  Whether you have an office in your home, run a business from your home or have a desk at your J.O.B., your desk is often the first impression that people receive of how you run your business and manage yourself.   I have worked with many businesses and homeowners to help them develop an organized system for their office and their desk. The key to staying organized is to be minimalistic and to know what you need to have handy.  What is essential to your business?

Here are 10 Steps to An Organized Desk:

1.  Do you have a specific type of pen or pencil that you prefer?  I like lead pencils for writing in my calendar so I keep just a few spares in my pencil holder.  I also prefer the roller ball type of pens so I keep several of them in my pen holder too.  Then, I keep one color of each highlighter handy for things that I need to highlight…usually in my calendar.  Keeping pens and pencils that you don’t use is just clutter and not necessary.  An Organized Desk doesn’t include clutter.

2.  Electronic gadgets accumulate quickly and take up space on our desk.  Have a basket handy for things like keys, wallet, Bluetooth ear piece and have a handy charger for all of the electronics; cell phones, PDA’s, MP3’s.  My desk doesn’t have drawers in it, but I have my file cabinet handy with the power strip so that I can have everything charging at one time. 

3.  Don’t keep electronics on your desk.  Your router, printer, Vonage hook-up, etc. shouldn’t be kept on your desk.  It takes up too much space and gives the appearance of clutter, even if you have the room.  Clutter is not necessary and causes more work for you every day.

4. Dedicate a space for storage of paper and ink supplies.  Keeping an few extra ink cartridges handy is a good idea.  This will keep you from worrying about running out in the middle of a project.  But…they don’t need to be kept within hands reach.  Otherwise, your desk will be unorganized.  I found some inexpensive bright color boxes ad Michael’s Craft Store that I use to store these type of items.  You can also use this box to store your used ink cartridges until that you can make a decision where you will recycle them.  I also use a three tray system for the different types of paper that I use.  This is kept within arm reach of the printer so that it is handy.

5.  Keep your most-used files accessible.  Dedicate a portion of your desk to the files that you use the most so that you don’t have to keep opening and closing a file drawer every time that you need them.  You should be able to reach and quickly grab the files that you need.   For the files that I need handy but don’t need to keep them on my desk, I use a portable filing system that is on wheels.  This allows me to file my paperwork quickly and easily without having to get up.

6.   Set aside time to work in your office and do your filing and “office work”.  Without having time set aside dedicated to keeping your office organized, it will fill with clutter.  When you do this on a regular basis, you’ll have an organized desk and it can be done in minutes vs. hours.

7.  My desk doesn’t have any drawers so I use a small white plastic cabinet that fits under my desk to hold my office supplies; tape, staples, glue sticks, business cards, staple remover, etc.  It meets my needs, it kept handy and helps keep my desk organized and uncluttered.

8.  All of my notes the I write during the day go into a spiral notebook.  I date each page and as the day progresses, I use this to add to my To Do List.  It keeps my thoughts right in front of me and allows me to be more productive and keep my desk organized.

9.  Go wireless whenever possible.  My desk is much more organized when I use a wireless keyboard and mouse for my laptop. 

10.  Organize your desk as you go.  When you are finished with a file or paperwork, file it away immediately.  You’ll save time by filing it right away vs. waiting until the end of the day.  Staying organized is small steps every day.  Even though you may not feel as if you have accomplished a lot, forming the habit of keeping your desk organized will pay off in the end.

Try these tips and let me know your results!