Success Starts With An Organized Desk

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Did you know that January is national "Clean Out Your Desk Month?" January is the perfect time to prepare your desk for success in the New Year!

Before you start cleaning out your desk you need to determine what you want your desk to be and how it will serve you in 2010. Make a list of the purposes your desk will serve  for you and your family. For some it is a fun place to sit and check email or update your status on Facebook. For others it is a place where you sit most of the day and work while throwing a little bit of fun in! And finally, some play games, do homework or even shop. You need to decide your purpose first.

Second, now that you know your purpose you need a plan. It will be very difficult for you to clean out your desk and organize it if you do not go at it with a plan! Your plan cannot just be walking to your desk and saying "here we go." Schedule your time on your calendar and come prepared. Eat well, have snacks, plenty of water , suppliesand no interruptions. Be sure others know you need time to organize your desk and ask them to honor that need by giving you quite time to do so.

Now it's time to go! Start by sorting the items on, around and in your desk. Sorting is just as simple as it sounds. Like goes with like. There is nothing more to consider during this process. Trying to make too many decisions will cause unneeded stress and you may give up all together.

Once you sort your items you will have an opportunity to see just what you have and more importantly how much of it exists in your space! When you can see all of the items you can decide which items are your treasures. Keep your treasures in your sorted piles and release the rest either to a charity, the shredder or your trash can!

Now that you have the items you will be utilizing in and on your desk you can create the flow of the items. Establish a homes for your items based on frequency of use. What you use the most needs to be stored within arms length.

After you have organized your desk you will need to create systems and procedures that will support the purpose of your desk!

Fun Fact 

"Across all the employee groups studied, there were four characteristics that 70% or more employees said would have high impact on productivity. In order of importance these were:

1. Climate control (HVAC)
2. Storage space for work related items
3. The ability to organize and store technology
4. Quiet space.

Knoll Workplace Research

Organization IN-Sight

When organizing your office you want to set up your desk in the "Command Position." Ideally you should have a  wall on each side of you and face the door. This will provide you with a feeling of balance and you will not risk having someone sneak up on you!