Office Tidy

It is great to have both a desk and table in my office but it is also easy to let them get covered with piles of stuff.  And yes, the point of having two work spaces is to use them both, however, every so often I need to do a little tidy so that they don't end up piled any higher.

Table Before

Desk Before

I was worried that both spaces were too much for 30 minutes but I decided that if I really focussed, I could manage it.  The problem with an office tidy is that it is really easy to get distracted with projects and to-do lists and such so my goal was to only do the task at hand.

I started with the table.

I cleared out some gift bags that we brought home from a gala the other night.  My pile of 40th birthday cards got put in my special card box.  I had a little pile of papers and magazines that needed filing.

Before

After

Moving on to the desk, I had a quick look through all the papers on top, kept what needs to be done right away under the paper weight, threw some out and filed the rest.  I have file folders for projects or tasks that are coming up soon as well as to-do's that are not a rush.  I flipped through the files and removed items that were out of date.  

Before

After

On the other side of the desk I tidied my little turquoise organizer.

Before

After

When you tackle your space try to keep your focus on getting everything into its place.  This is not the time to actually DO the many little jobs that most of us have piled up (call the doctor, pay the bills, choose the summer camp).  This is the time to organize them so that you can come back to them later and none will be forgotten or get overlooked.  

Before

After

Okay, confession.  It pushed me 5 minutes over the limit but I did a quick drawer tidy as well.

If you never use it, get rid of it.  Keep often used items in front where you can reach them easily.

Before

After

I hope that a little office organize will help you to work more efficiently in your space!