Tag Archives for " can’t find anything on my desk "
This system worked so well for my home office that I’m sharing it. It took me a couple of days to completely revamp. Did you think order would be fast and easy?
At the end of April 2013, I finished my 5-year plan and then panicked. I realized how much work I had to do, and a book to complete by September of that same year. The house was a mess, my office a disaster, and I had not seen my desk in over year due to all the stuff accumulated on the surface. Everything had to be in view. If an item was not in my line of sight then I would forget all about it. It was a terrible, cluttered mess.
A friend suggested reading, Getting Things Done. This book provided me with a system to follow that would keep chaos and clutter out of my office and off my desk.
While this system does not cost much money, it will cost some time.
The Tools You Need
Read Getting Things Done, by David Allen. It gives you all the background for the system.
Here is a short version until you have that system down.
Productivity and organization after only three steps:
Empty your office.
Pile every belonging from your office in your hall or living room. I needed both. Move every item, including those from every drawer, bookshelf, closet, paperclip and even every file. No exceptions!
OK, one exception, the computer. It is temporary.
Note: it took me 2.5 solid days because of the volume of accumulated items. This blog post does not deal with computer files, although organizing them was what I did the weekend after.
Now that the entire office is bare, and clean. It may never be this empty again. It is easy to dust and wipe bookshelves without books getting in the way. I’m sure some of that dust has been there since you moved in.
Label and handle each item individually and once.
(i.e. This shelf gets business books. That shelf gets magazines. This drawer gets paperclips, elastics, and bookmarks.)
Temporarily label those areas with posted notes. You are going to discover how many posted notes you will use in a month. Buy a large pack, multicolour if you can. I got two packs of twenty each at Costco and six months later, will need two more.
The Filing Cabinet
When adding files to the filing cabinet, use the label maker or write clearly. Have a filing system to start and then add each piece of paper to a labeled folder. Feel free to use my system.
Return all items to your office to a pre-assigned place.
With every item you are about to handle, ask:
(i.e. Paper goes in a labeled file folder in the file cabinet. Dictionaries sit in the bookshelf on shelf #3, labeled Resources.)
(i.e. All paper is labeled in the file cabinet. All books in the bookshelf sit according to its type. Old cell phone invoices are in the business bills’ folder. Loose leaf notes from the Writers’ Workshop in the To Transcribe bin in the bookshelf bottom shelf.)
Now bring every item back handling it only once – if it does not have a spot already go back to (c).
Any future items brought into the office will have an automatic place, or it does not belong in your office. This is the only way to kill clutter.
Congratulations! You are more than half way there.
Consult weekly updates
In order for this system to continue working over time, you now have to plan your weekly consult. Any new item into the office goes into one place: the Inbox. Set time aside every week for the items in the Inbox.
The Inbox must capture all the ‘stuff’ you have to do. It can be anything from:
How the Inbox works:
How to keep the Inbox from accumulating?
If you are not on top of it, looking at a full Inbox can cause stress.
Now your Inbox also extends to your calendar for priority items. I do this step every Sunday by spending 1-1.5 hours in a Weekly Plan and watch the calendar for items due sooner. I prefer to use the ToDoIst reminder App along with the Google calendar.
Warning: If you let your Inbox accumulate and do not have a place for something you brought into the office, the system ceases to function. If need be, double your Weekly Plan time when you are busy.
You may find that you have taken on too many projects on the paper planning stage. It’s better to learn now, rather than later, that you have taken on too much.
Fall off the clear and clutter wagon? I do. Every few months. Here’s how to get back on.
Related Post: Part II – coming in January – What to do when you get overwhelmed and how to get back on track.