Disorganized Desk Syndrome [Gearfire Productivity]
“Disorganized Desk Syndrome” can affect all of us. When you are practically diving into piles of paper to find what you are looking for, and the floor surrounding your desk is even cluttered with “stuff”, something needs to be done!
Tip One - Get an Inbox
A proper physical inbox is a must for keeping an organized desk! It’s there to keep anything entering your desk in one place, looking neat and tidy ready to be organized later. At one stage, my whole desk acted as my inbox (as well as the floor around it when things got really bad), with everything just being piled on top of what already lay on it.
Tip Two - Set up a “student filing system”
As students, we haven’t got the need for a full filing system, it’s just an overkill and wastes precious space in our work area. We do still need somewhere to file things though, what I’ve found works best is a large arch-lever folder with dividers in for each category. This keeps everything filed away, without taking up too much space.
Tip Three - Organize how to arrange your school notes
If there is one thing I produce a lot of, it is lesson notes! Everyone has different systems for organizing notes; whether it’s individual folders for each subject, one big folder with dividers in or notebooks, the possibilities are endless. Leaving notes laying around your desk is not a solution however; and for the sake of your desk, find the system that works best for you as soon as possible!
Tip Four - If you are not a regular filer, add a “To File” tray on top of your inbox
I know that I don’t file regularly unless it is necessary, there is often useful tasks that I could be doing and therefore, I batch all my filing so that it becomes more productive, and usually do it every couple of days. If you buy into this “batch processing” mentality, then have a “To File” tray as well as an inbox tray. This means that when you get to filing, the papers aren’t all across your desk, they are all in one place.
Tip Five - Get a stationary holder
Whether it’s pens, pencils or paper, there are two problems people often have here. You can either never find them, or they are dotted all over your desk! Buying stationary holders not only keeps your desk looking tidy, but also improves your productivity by making it easier to find what you are looking for.
Tip Six - Invest in a good quality desk
If possible, buy a stylish looking desk that you really like the look of. It’s all psychological, but if you like the look of your desk, then you are more motivated to keep it presentable so that you and others can see how stylish it looks.
What tips do you have for curbing the clutter on and around your desk? Share them with us in the comments section below.
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Original post here: Carl Hickson
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