How to Keep a Desk Clear
Organization experts agree that the biggest time waster in any office is looking for papers on a cluttered desk. Items like Post-It notes, telephone messages and important memos can wind up under piles of paper. If you spend an hour or more each day searching for things, you can reduce the clutter on your desk and keep it clear by following a few simple techniques.
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Instructions
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Setup System
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Set aside 2 to 3 hours to set up a system to unclutter your desk. The simplest systems involve handling a piece of paper as soon as you receive it. The simpler the system, the more likely you are to keep using it.
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Simplify your system by starting with 12 monthly folders. Gather the file folders and labels that you need. Label each one starting with the current month and continuing until you have folders for an entire year.
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Place all the folders except the current month in a file pocket that you can reach easily from your chair.
Organize Paper Flow
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Setup an inbox on your desk for all messages, memos, mail or other work documents. Once you receive a piece of paper, note the sender, the action required and the due date on your log. If the item requires immediate action, attach it to your daily log. If the due date is in the same month, place the item in the folder for the current month.
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File items that have later due dates in the folder for that month and make a note on your daily log which month of the year contains the document. If you delegate the item to another person, make a copy of the document and file your copy.
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Create alphabetical or category files in the file cabinet for inbox items that require no action or have no due dates. Note on your log that this item has been filed for future reference or archival purposes.
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Keep your daily logs in the current month’s folder. Review them at the end of your workday and move items forward or postpone them as your priorities change.
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Clear your inbox at regular intervals daily, and take about 30 minutes at the end of the day to review your inbox log. If your priorities have changed, you can rest your agenda for the next day without fearing that you have overlooked some pressing deadline.
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File each monthly folder in your file cabinet at the end of each month. Remove archival items to the correct alphabetical or category folder in your file cabinet.
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Reschedule any incomplete items and place the documents in the correct monthly folder. Remember to note the change on your monthly log. Resume clearing your inbox, using the folder for the new month and a new set of daily logs.
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Tips & Warnings
Expand your system or decrease the number of folders, according to your needs.
Use a PDA or other electronic log if you want to quickly search for inbox items, dues dates and delegated items.
A complex, hard-to-remember paper flow system is likely to be abandoned in a rush, leaving a bigger mess than you started with.
