Celebrating The Organized Desk

Vertical file sorter, all ready for the holiday.

You thought the holidays were over? Not so fast. How could you forget about National Clean Off Your Desk Day, commemorated every second Monday of January? Ah, what a wondrous time...the shredder all powered up and sparkling, brightly colored file folders and labels at the ready.  And who can resist the tradition of clearing out the pen cup of all the broken pencils, dried out Sharpies and stray pennies?

In seriousness, few of us need a holiday to realize it's time to get busy with the stacks of junk on or in our desks. I've listed a few of my favorite desk tips below to help get you motivated, whether at home or the office:

• My mnemonic desk de-cluttering rhyme: "Purge the top before you shop." Not super clever, but good advice to heed. Go through all of those stacks of paper and decide what needs to be processed, filed, or shredded.  When the surface is cleared off, THEN you can think about the nifty desk organizer you saw at the office supply store.  Then again, maybe now you won't even need it.
• A good way to prevent those stacks in the first place is to use a vertical file sorter with files labeled for your most common paperwork.  The key is to be sure you go into those files regularly to handle the “ins and outs” of your paperwork.  Calendar a regular time each week to go through them.

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• The top drawer of the desk is your "primary" drawer:  use it to store the supplies you use frequently (like at least once a week).  And store only one layer of items, in a labeled drawer tray.  It is no fun having to go on a 15-minute archeological expedition just to find the extra screen protectors you know you bought two months ago.
• One word:  cords.  Take the time to untangle everything, then use cord identifiers like these to label them at the plugs.  If you’re being thrifty, use the plastic tabs from bread bags and label them for each device.
• How many unneeded (i.e., personal) items do you have on the desk?  One or two favorite photos are fine, but your shrine to Star Trek?  Not so much.  If it's not in service to your work and productivity, move it somewhere else.  Keep things like tissue, nail files, and sanitizer in a secondary drawer (again, one layer).
• Do get rid of writing instruments that are dried up, or that you just won’t use. Keep 2-3 maximum on the desktop -  the bigger your supply of pens on the desk, the more likely co-workers/family members will turn to you to “borrow” what they need.

Finally, when you begin this project estimate how much time you think you’ll need, then double it.  Finding items you'd forgotten about can easily derail your timing (particularly if they have any sentimental value).  If you get it all finished up sooner, you always take a little time for extra celebrating with your newly organized desk. 

Happy NCOYDD!