Take a peek at your desk. Is it a mess?

Keeping an organized desk is an achievable goal that pays off. As many studies show, our atmosphere has great effects on us. By having a clean area to work, you will find yourself more productive, less distracted, and less overwhelmed. As someone who has had to work from home many times, I can attest to the following tips being lifesavers.

1.Go digital – Pen and paper can never fully be replaced, but sometimes it can be substituted. Instead of having mounds of paper, consider scanning the documents into PDFs and saving them on your computer. This would save space on the desk and reduce the risk of the piece of paper being misplaced.

2. Physical inbox – True to the desk’s purpose, there will always be items, papers, or packages set on the desk that need to be addressed. Set a side a small corner or edge of the desk designated to incoming mail and papers. That way whenever you have time you know exactly what needs to be reviewed and placed in its proper place.

3. Desk trashcan – Keep a small trashcan close by so that you can readily through away old papers and items that are no longer relevant. This will keep you from accidentally creating a trash pile on the desk.

4. Reduce desk decor – We all love a cute desk, but there comes a point when it is too cluttered with the “cute” items. Try and reduce the decor so that you have more space on the desk to spread out, work, and create.

5. Knick-knack drawer – Have a drawer set a side for the smaller items that get in the way (i.e. stapler, paperclips, tape, white out, extra pens and highlighters, stamps, thumptacks, and more.) By placing all these items in one drawer, less time is wasted searching for them on a cluttered desk.

6. Daily clean – Make sure at least once a day that you thoroughly go though access papers, sticky notes, and desk items to consolidate, put back in appropriate spot, or throw away. Just spending 10-15 minutes a day will help reduce the growth of a mess on your desk.