How to Stay Organized
Hi,
Regardless of what you do, it is important to stay organized. This means putting things into their place when you are done with them. I used to think that “organized chaos” helped me - but in reality it was really distracting.
For me, nothing is worse then coming to my desk at home and being surrounded by paper. I’d spend the first few minutes (or hours) sorting through all the clutter to get my thoughts straight about what I was doing last — I was doing the same thing at work Monday mornings! You’re not very productive if you need to spend hours every day sorting out what is on your desk and then getting down to the days activities.
What I’ve started to do is look at the clutter on a daily basis. At the end of the day I go through what paper I have accumulated and quickly determine if it’s useful or chicken scratch that can be put into the recycle box. Although I have a PDA and I can write down thoughts on the computer inside of Notepad or Textpad, I still like doing things on paper.
I’ll put away supplies like pens, pencils into the drawer. Stapler and other equipment in its place — usually OFF of the desk. At the end of the day, the only thing that I keep on my desk is the laptop and what I need for the next day. Keeping your desk free of clutter will help keep your mind free of clutter.
Your workspace should always be kept clean and organized to ensure maximum performance and effeciency. Do you really want to spend hours sorting through the clutter to find that one important piece of paper where you’ve jotted down your million dollar idea? Keep your desk in an area where there is plenty of natural light, there is nothing better than having light stream in through a window.
When you’re done with something - put it away. This is the easiest way to stay organized. At the end of the day, file thing that need to be filed and discard the rest. Something that may help you is one of those magnetic white boards. I use one, and find it very handy. I can make quick notes on the board along with ideas and drawings of what I’m working on. Well worth the $10.00 investment!
Avoid the temptation to stack paper. I find myself struggling with this all the time, but at the end of the day when I see my workspace is clean I know that when I get to work the next day I’ll be able to start fresh without trying to remember exactly what that piece of paper was for.
Do you have other ideas or suggestions on staying organized? I would love to hear them!
Regards,
Mohamed
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Hi Mohamed,
I use a couple of 5 drawer organisers. There is one drawer for each main aspect of my web business. Host/IT, General Article Ideas, Affiliate Info, and so on.
When I feel the need to file a piece of paper for future action I look at the drawers. If it doesn’t fit into any of the categories then it goes into the recycle bin.
The real bonus is when I think of an idea for an article or post, I scribble it on some paper and file it. I find that by writing it and saving it like this I am not distracted from the task I am currently doing and I don’t lose the idea.
Brendan.