Organizing Your Workspace

If you're like me, you're drowning in a sea of paperwork and file folders at your desk. Cubicles all around my busy real estate office appear as if a tornado with an appetite for paperwork came through and demolished their workstations. Needless to say, your workspace could use some serious organization. Most disorganized individuals would be surprised to learn that an organized atmosphere will lead to better time management and overall increased productivity. For instance, you will be able find items much quicker and it will be much easier to focus on the tasks at hand. As I always say, de-cluttering your desk will de-clutter your mind. Organizing your desk is a time consuming project, but once it's all over then you'll be happy you put the effort in. Here are a few ways you can reorganize:

Gut it and start over.

I know you hate to hear this, but it's important. This will be the most time consuming part of the entire process. Start by pulling everything off of your desk, including your computer, printer, fax machine, or anything else that's large in size. When your desk is completely bare and there's no a hint of trash on it, then you're read to move on. The next thing is to take some cleaning supplies and wipe down every surface. More than likely, you have not cleaned it in weeks and there is a pool of bacteria salivating at the chance to make you sick. Your desk will be filthy, and you'll need to wipe down everything from the inside of the drawers to the handles.

Sort everything.

Start sorting through the different things and grouping them based on function. For instance, all of your work utensils such as pencils, pens, staplers, and paper clips should be put together. Paperwork should be put together. All computer equipment should be in a similar pile. If you have different manuals, books, or binders then they should be in the same pile as well. As you're going through this process you will have tons of trash and paperwork to throw away. Go through old files to see if you still need them and, if not, toss them into a garbage bag. Also, if you do not think you'll use a particular file, manual, or utensil then toss it into the garbage as well.

Find a place for everything.

At this point, everything left will be going somewhere in or on your desk. It's much easier to plan a spot for everything now rather than putting it on your desk only to find out that it's not going to work. I recommend having things readily available that you will frequently use. For instance, folders that aren't used very often should be on the bottom of the tray, while the most current remain on the top. Think about what items you need available immediately, such as a pen or paperclip, and put these items within easy reach. Items that are not used daily should go inside of a drawer for later use.

Eliminate personal items.

While it's important to customize your desk with reminders of your family and friends, overdoing it will only fill up your working space and clutter it. Cut down on the amount of picture frames and knickknacks that you have displayed. Also, leave about a two foot clear working space. Once you're done, you should be ready to go. Good luck!