Clearing Off Your Desktop

By Marlene Hansen

Professional Organizers agree that if you can’t see 50% of your desktop you are not working at peak efficiency!

How many times have you felt overwhelmed by the pile of papers on your desk? You look at it, become agitated, get a headache, feel helpless, lose hope that you will ever be able to get control of your life. After all, many of the papers piled on your desk relate to decisions you have to make.

So where do you begin?

Try not to feel guilty or berate yourself. Remember that you lead a busy life and just haven’t had time to clear the clutter. Clutter is only postponed decision making!

1. Start going through the papers and sort into like subject categories…bills to be paid, catalogs, legal documents, friends’ cards, pictures, newspapers, credit offers, trash.

2. Shred and toss junk, outdated credit offers and offers you are not interested in. Read your cards, then toss them unless they are extremely important to you. Then place them in a covered box labeled FRIENDS..

3. Create a place for bills to be paid and every time you open mail place them in that spot.

4. Create a place for catalogs. Look through them while watching TV, tear out pages to order from and then toss the catalog

5. Look through the newspaper quickly. Tear out articles and place in a folder. If you don’t have time to read them in the next few days, toss…it’s old news.

6. Buy a photo box and label it for with the current year. All photos go there until you decide to insert them in an album.

7. Legal documents should have a permanent home in your reference files.

8. Create a TO FILE folder. Place items there and file once a week to save time.

9. Leave items you use daily on desk…phone, computer, to do list, calendar, pens, pencils.

10. Place tape, clips, stapler, rubberbands in top drawer. The less your eyes have to look at the less stress you’ll feel.

Files should be separated into

Active - items used daily

Reference - items needed periodically like maps, passport

Archival - needed once a year or less…tax, real estate transactions

Having a place for every incoming piece of paper will reduces clutter and stress, thereby promoting peace of mind!

Author, Marlene Hansen, has a Masters Degree in Information Science and has been in the information business for over 20 years. Her company, ORGANIZE & MAXIMIZE!, is located in Phoenix, AZ. She belongs to National Association of Professional Organizers, Arizona’s Elite Professional Services Network(www.AzEPS.com) and is an Accredited Home Staging Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, Sonoran Living. Contact her at marlenehansen@cox.net or view her site at www.OrganizeandMaximize.com
Keller Williams Realty
Sonoran Living
Accredited Staging Professional Realtor
Professional Office & Home Organizer
Organize & Maximize,LLC http://www.OrganizeandMaximize.com
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