How do you know whether it is time to get organized? The time is now if, upon scanning the piles on your desk you have said, "I can lay my hands on anything" and then couldn't. If the bulk of your day seems to be filled with shuffling papers, and those papers actually hinder your getting the other, more important work done; or if you are overwhelmed and mystified about where to put all those memos, reports, drafts, bills, magazines, correspondence, miscellaneous documents and mail that comes to you, it's time to change.
Think of your entire desk as prime space. Anything that stays this close to you must earn its keep. When sorting, the guiding principle is to put like things together. Starting with the drawers, sort these by consolidating, dumping and rearranging. Throw away the unused, dried up, old or unidentified items. Limit your personal items to part of one drawer.
Consider placing the stapler and scotch tape in a desk drawer. The phone, business card holder, desk calendar, stapler, electric pencil sharpener, tape dispenser, holder for paper clips calculator, radio, a cup containing miscellaneous pens and pencils, and framed photos, do not need to live in the open, crowding your workspace.
The top of the desk should support only the most critical items. You must process everything on your desk by putting it into its proper location quickly and easily. Ask yourself these questions when you pick up a piece of paper:
- To what does the item refer?
- To what category should it belong?
- What is the next step I must take?
To begin sorting, start with one stack of papers at a time. Sort from the top down. Do not move one or two items to see what interesting things reside below. No matter how overwhelming it may seem, all of these loose papers will sort themselves out into logical groupings. Some materials will naturally go with related documents. A surprising amount will be thrown away because they are no longer relevant or have already been handled. Some will represent projects where the next step belongs to someone else. Be sure to send it along with a note. One or two items will be things you had just been looking for the other day and they need to be dealt with immediately.
What to do about all the little pieces of paper? Throw some away, of course. Record all appointments on your calendar. Integrate into your To Do list those tasks that can be accomplished in the next couple of days. In the future, write notes in the appropriate place initially - for instance: on the inside cover of the file folder, on the bottom of client correspondence or on an internal memo form.
Skim items to be read and decide on their importance. If you will take the time to read something, then file it immediately according to the subject to which it refers. Once you make a decision on any piece of paper, process or file it promptly. Once you get organized, maintain your system by establishing good paper management habits. Be very selective about what you keep and throw away. Recycle as much as possible. Resist the tendency to set it aside for just one minute.
To ensure that piles do not multiply, spend fifteen minutes at the end of each day cleaning off the top of your desk. Put away your active files so your desk is clean in the morning. This is the best way to stay ahead. One day's accumulation is easily handled. Always re-file things quickly. Keep your organizing system and your files simple, easy and logical. You will be able to get and stay organized by breaking the habits that lead to clutter. You deserve a clean, clear workspace.
