I’m sure by now you have the understanding that I have pretty crazy OCD when it comes to being tidy and organized – to the extent I tidy behind my hubs if he is doing something around the house which annoys the crap out of him, or I actually have bad days if I don’t leave the house tidy with everything done… yesterday my mama left – just before we went to the airport I decided to hoover, put washing on, wash down surfaces and she laughed because she knows it’s what I enjoy! I physically can’t just sit still in my house (poor baby cub will no doubt take after her mama!). Anyways, as we have a couple of weeks until the end of the year typically it starts slowing down at work (well you would think… It’s been ridiculously busy at work lately, which is good from a sales perspective but not good when you want the run up to the holidays to be calm!!) so this is a GREAT time to reorganized your work space, whether you work from home, have an office or a cubicle. It’s nice to leave the year and go into the new year organized with projects/targets/clear aims and goals with a clean tidy desk space.
So…. As I have just spent the last 30 minutes tidying mine I wanted to drop you guys a couple of tips I live by! The only thing I need to do is go through my e-mails…. I’m terrible for leaving my e-mails in my inbox – what I would love is for them all to be in organized folders! This is my Monica Gellar cupboard!!!
- Clear up all the clutter! Pull out everything from your drawers/desk/shelves and go through it all.
- Find storage solutions that don’t make you cringe. Desk storage is a necessity, but it doesn’t have to be an eyesore. From file cabinets to bookshelves, look for pieces with both form and function to foster your creative instincts.
- Keep cords out of sight. Nothing will taint your beautiful workspace like a tangle of cords. To keep loose cords at bay, take this tip from Martha Stewart: Feed cords though a hole drilled in your desk, and mount a surge protector on the underside. Or, if you’d rather manage cords sans any permanent damage to your furniture, use Velcro strips or zip ties to secure them into an organized cluster.
- Pick pretty stationary. Call me old-fashioned, but we’re nothing without our notepads. If you still like to jot things down with good old pens and paper too, invest in chic post-its and other pretty paper goods. I just found all my note pads from the last 5 years… my conclusion is I write a lot but it’s all notes I can use in the future!
- Accessorize. Investing in desk accessories that you actually like is as important as finishing off your outfit with that chic statement necklace or perfect pair of earrings. So if you’ve had your eye on a Lucite paper tray or printed pushpins for a while now, go ahead and indulge in your desktop cravings. Coordinating containers not only look pretty, they’ll help keep you organized, too.
- Make an inspiration board. Instead of letting loose papers flutter around your space, keep a board of all the odds and ends that inspire you. A bulletin board is also a great place to pin small details you might otherwise lose like photographs and business cards. And while virtual boards are nice, nothing beats seeing it all in front of you while you work. I LOVE my white board and I update it with my targets every quarter, so this has just been redone!
- Don’t forget about your computer folders. A couple of days ago I went through all my folders and cleaned them out and decluttered! Electronic counts too!
When we’re in need of a little extra of desktop inspiration, fresh flowers usually do the trick! I will be getting fresh flowers for the New Year!
