Living and working in a cluttered environment is expensive – it
costs you time, energy, money and peace of mind.
Step 1. Establish the purpose of the space you're planning to organize.
| • | Create a purpose statement for your
space. Identify all the activities that will take place in that space and
write them down.
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Step 2. Eliminate anything that doesn't fit the purpose of the space.
| • | Start by creating four sorting boxes
or piles:
| o | give away
| | o | throw away
| | o | store in this space
| | o | store in another space
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| • | With your purpose statement and
activity list in mind, go through the entire contents of the space and sort
everything into these four categories.
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| • | 'Sort everything' means exactly that!
Take a good, hard look at everything on your desk, drawers and cabinets –
don’t forget to check your walls and counters, too. Sort all the items in
one area before moving on to the next spot. Yes, it’s a big job, but it's
worth it – once your living/working spaces are organized, you'll have more
time to relax!
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| • | As you go through the sorting process,
ask yourself these questions:
| o | Is this item useful to
me? Have I used it in the past year? If not, get rid of it.
| | o | Is it in good condition?
Does it work properly? If not, fix it or throw it out.
| | o | Do I have too many of
these? Store excess supplies somewhere else or give them away.
| | o | Is this a seasonal item
I can store elsewhere? A labeled storage box is ideal for this type of
thing.
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Step 3. Find a home for the items in the 'store in this space' pile.
| • | Eliminate the things that don't fit
the purpose of your space.
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| • | Invest in some organizing tools for
storing the items that you put back into your desk, cabinets and counters.
File boxes, drawer organizers, accordion files, even plastic containers will
help keep your spaces tidy.
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| • | Store frequently used items in easily
accessible drawers and cabinets. Make sure these items are kept close to the
place where they'll be used.
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| • | Store similar things together (e.g. all
office supplies in one place).
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| • | Store items on your desk or counters
only if you use them often (several times a week). Otherwise, put them away.
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| • | Once you have everything in the right
spot, use a label maker to label what goes where. Then make a point of
always putting things back in the right place!
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