Home-Office Organization Quick-Fix

A Simple Way to Clear Some Clutter

January 2007

1	2	3	4	5
Waste Basket	Box for Current Year’s Receipts (for those who let them accumulate)	Multi-Drawer Tray for Papers That Need Immediate Attention	Laundry Basket for the “Pass-It-On” Items	Big Plastic Tub for the “Store Here to Put Away Later” Non-Urgent Items

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then is an empty desk?”

—Albert Einstein

Follow my super simple plan to bring your cluttered or messy work space under control. The fine tuning and micro-filing can be done later. The main purpose of this activity is to “neaten up” an office space that has gotten out of hand in terms of papers, piles, receipts, and general “stuff”.

To begin, find a room or area where you can work - a place where you can leave your items undisturbed during breaks and overnight. Hopefully this will be right in your office unless someone else uses it. Now find a comfortable seat to work in.

Place 5 containers in the space: A waste basket for trash, A small box for the current year’s receipts, A tray with at least three drawers for sorting papers (or you can use 3 small plastic trays or bins instead), A laundry basket or big plastic bag for things to give away, and A large plastic tub or container (even a large cardboard box can be used) for things you need to file or put away at a later time-items that are not urgent.  Position the 5 containers in a row or semi-circle within arms reach of where you will be sitting.

Next, gather all of your stacks and piles of papers and items that are strewn about your workspace (or home). Place them all in a big “holding” area within arms reach of where you will be sitting. This can be on a table, in a big plastic tub or in a couple of large trash bags, on a sofa, or wherever. One by one you will go through these items very quickly. Do not stop to read or reflect on the papers and items. The goal is to quick-sort them into the 5 containers you have in the area.

Pick up the papers and items one by one and sort them into the containers. Throw away all papers and catalogs that are junk or that “maybe, perhaps, might be read someday”. You can always order another catalog. Throw away things that are no longer useful or that will clutter your space.

Place receipts into the receipt container. Do not read them closely, just sort them. You can further sort this container much late, closer to tax time if you have not been keeping up.

The next container holds very important papers and items that will need attention very soon or immediately. This container has three sections, drawers, or mini-bins, labeled “to-do”, “to-pay”, and “to file”. These are papers and items that should not be forgotten about. They are important bills or documents that will need your attention or need to be filed nearby for often and quick reference, such as notes from a current job you are working on or legal papers that are in progress. You will look at the papers and items in these three mini-bins more closely after your week-end of organization.

The Pass-It-On container is for all items you will give away, ship, or mail right away. Take action to distribute the things in this basket right after the organization week-end is up. That will be one less basket lying around (this is a perfect opportunity to learn about the “smart art” of delegation by getting someone else to do these action tasks for you).

The final container is for non-urgent items that you can store to be put away later. It is easy for others to say “handle each item only once”, but when you are doing quick-sort organizing like this, it would be absurd for you to jump up every two minutes (or less) to put things away all over the office. Put items in this storage tub that can be filed or put away in a couple of days, weeks or even next month. All sorts of things will end up in this box, such as folders from vendors you are thinking about using, photos, an extra calculator, a coffee cup, etc. These are not throw-away or give-away items, yet they do not need immediate attention, and should not take your time away from the more important organization efforts. If you need something in this box in a week, you will know where it is. Put a lid on the box and store it in a closet or garage until you can get to it. Better still, delegate the tasks to an office helper who can easily put the items away for you.

There you have the Office Organization Quick-Fix that will help you to quickly gain order in your home office work-space (or home). Focus on this 5-container method of organizing and leave the fine tuning and smaller detail organizing and filing for a later time when you feel a sense of control and peace of mind in your office. You will be much more creative and productive all the way around.

Margarett will be speaking at the Exciting Windows

conference  in Baltimore, MD, January 27-30.

Margarett DeGange, M.Ed. is an Adult Education Specialist and Business Consultant. She is the creator of Communicate 2 Connect Seminars for business and personal development, and she is the Founder and Director of The DeGangi School of Interior Decoration (DecoratingSchool.com), with both on-sight and on-line courses in Interior Decorating and Redesign. Margarett earned both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Texas A&M University with studies in Business Development, Leadership and Communication, and Adult Learning, and a specialty in E-Learning. She also holds a degree in Speech Communications. She has helped many business owners in the Interior Fashions and Decorating industries to communicate better with customers, run their businesses more effectively, and increase sales and profits as a result. Margarett is the National Vice-President of the Window Coverings Association of America and she serves as the National Director of Training for the Window Coverings University. Margarett’s designs and articles have been featured in many national publications including Window Fashions Magazine and Furniture World Magazine. To sign up for Margarett’s FREE Newsletter, or for a list of her upcoming business development seminars and webinars, go to www.DecoratingSchool.com. Questions on any aspect of this article, on the DeGangi School of Interior Decorating, or on working with retail clients can be sent to her at Margarett@Communicate2Connect.com or by phone at 979-690-8329.