Organize Your Work Area in Minutes

Clutter has a way of congregating in the areas we use the most. Before you know it piles of odds and ends are threatening to bury the phone or keyboard or spill onto the floor. Fight the urge to sweep it all into a drawer or the trash. Taken in five minute bursts you can get it done while on the phone taking care of other business.

Multitask with a headset

Doing other mindless tasks while on the phone is much easier when you have two hands. A simple headset or blue tooth ear bud will allow you to get simple things done with your hands while talking on the phone. Be sure the call is of the mundane variety. Your boss doesn't want to hear you shuffling papers or mumbling about forgotten bills when she's trying to tell you about the upcoming project.

Organize the Papers

The bulk of office clutter is paper. Grab the handful nearest you and sort into three piles: do now (if it will only take a minute, get it done now or as soon as you are off the phone), file for later, and trash. Get through the pile as quickly as possible and move on to the next handful of papers. You will be amazed at how much paperwork is no longer important and can now be shredded. If your pile for things to file or do later is big, you may need to look into your overall organization style.

Gather the Office Tools

Amid any pile of clutter are usually tools that need to be put away. Simply gather all the pens, calculators, rulers, and staplers and put them back where they go. This task is ideal for when you are on the phone because it requires virtually no thought.

Check for Foreign Objects

Working spaces seem magnetic: objects that belong in other areas seem to migrate from their rightful place when you are not looking. Take a moment to scan your work area for any binders, books, or files that can quickly be returned to their place of origin, gather them up, and just do it now.

Tidy up What is Left

After a morning of phone calls you have cleared away a stack of papers, returned tools and files to their rightful areas, and found the surface of your work-area. Take a moment to finish the job by straightening the inbox, pen holder, and other items on your desk. Grab a napkin or tissue and wipe down the desk to remove lint, dust, and crumbs. Adjust the things around you until they are within range of your arms without being a distraction.

Let's not pretend that clutter won't happen again. When we are busy we don't always take the time to get things put away. But the habit of putting things away in brief spurts, when you have just a minute, will help to keep the clutter to a minimum. Next time you hear the phone ring you might not cringe at the interruption, but start to look around for the headset and something to put away.