Welcome to day 29 of decluttering to free your home and your mind.
I have read that there should only be 5 things on your office desk... your computer, your phone, pens, notebook and thank you cards. Would your office space pass this muster?
If you are fortunate enough to have a whole room as an office, or just a bench space somewhere, is it as tidy as you wish? If the answer is no, then this article is just for you (and also me at times).
When deciding to clean our office space we usually go for boom and bust. That means we spend ages getting it just right (the boom) and then in a short space of time is is back to where it was before (the bust), and we may say, "why do I even bother, it just ends up getting messy again!"
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you eat a plate of frogs? Start with the biggest one first.
The same is true when cleaning your office. One bite at a time, meaning set aside a certain amount of time each day (or second day, whichever suits you), say 5 minutes. Set a timer for those 5 minutes, and clean anything you can in that 5 minutes, then stop until the next day. Congratulate yourself on getting through a short cleanse, they will add up to consistency, and that is our goal - a consistently decluttered work area.
Now, about those frogs, how do they tie in? Well, look around your work space. What is the biggest task you have to do? Start on that one first.
Here is a list of tasks that helped me cleanse my office, and I hope that you can pick up some ideas from here.
Empty rubbish bins first, you need somewhere for the rubbish to go as you sort it
If any item has been stored in the office but doesn't belong there, immediately put it where it belongs
Containers or archive boxes. I love these in my office, which is also my craft room. If they are all the same design it can look amazing. Label the front of the container/box with the contents, and an expiry date if applicable. Store neatly on shelves etc.
Paperwork, bills, etc. For bills etc, I scan and save the electronic copy of the bill, enter the details into my accounting package, and then dispose of the paper copy. There is no need to save them in a file any longer, embrace technology. Have a filing system for important documents. Make sure you keep a scanned copy as well.
Old magazines and newspapers. Do not keep an entire magazine if you only need one article. Keep or scan the article, then throw out the rest of the magazine.
Old electronics and cords. This was covered in a previous blog, please read.
Postcards, photos, ticket stubs etc can be displayed on walls and cork boards etc. I have two cork boards in my office, and they look awesome with all my memories together. Also on the wall in my office, I have a whiteboard for ideas, and my vision board for inspiration.
Any other odds and ends of items can be stored in labelled boxes. I have them for light globes, spare batteries, birthday cards etc. Easily located
The are the key words - easily located. Your goal of a decluttered office is that you can find things when you want them, not having to search through clutter to locate these items.
Remember the elephants and the frogs.
However long you spend in your office today, go reward yourself after the cleanse today. You deserve it!
Please feel free to comment about your cleanse that you experience, and enjoy the rest of the decluttering series.
Happy Travels!
