I’ve observed that being disorganized can add undo stress to my life and keep me from work-life balance. Clutter has been a real problem for me at times – both at home and the office.
Unclutterer recently shared five uncluttering things you can do in your office right now:
- Grab all of those post-it notes off your screen, phone, keyboard, and bulletin board and permanently capture that information. Enter phone numbers into your address book, put to-do items on your calendar, and hide your passwords in a place where snoopers can’t find them.
- Gather up all of your writing implements, and test your pens and markers. Get rid of those that don’t work, and sharpen all of your pencils. Finally, put all of these items in an organized container that is near where you use them.
- Process an inch of paperwork from your desk’s inbox. File, sign, scan, read or return the papers as necessary. Don’t put anything back into your inbox.
- Get everything out of your office that doesn’t belong there. Walk that dead printer to the IT department for recycling, and give your co-worker back the scissors you snagged off her desk when you couldn’t find yours.
- Check your bulletin board for any out-dated office phone lists, take-out menus, or memos, and drop them into the recycling bin or shredder. Rearrange what is left so that the information you reference most often is in the spot that is easiest to see.
Here are my thoughts on each point:
- I have a bunch of post-it notes on my desk. I’ve attempted to keep all notes in my computer, but I’ve gotten lazy lately.
- I don’t really have a problem with pens, pencils, etc.
- I really have to get rid of paper. I have aspired to go “paperless” but I still have a habit of writing notes and ideas on paper, and then setting them aside to be entered into my computer later. Right now, I’m carrying around probably 3-4 inches of paperwork in my computer bag. During the State of the Union speech last night, I processed about an inch of paperwork. It felt great!
- Guilty again. I moved to a new office a year ago, and am still not totally unpacked and settled. I’ve got a few things that need to be moved out of my office and into my storage room.
- I don’t have a bulletin board, but I do have a few things that I need to toss. I just need to do it!
I know that if I can conquer clutter in my office, I’ll free up valuable time and reduce stress. What about you?
Would you add anything else to this list? Do you keep things pretty neat and clean, or do you struggle with clutter too like me? Please share your thoughts and comments below.
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