Clutter Free Living: At Your Desk

Do you dread working in your office? Do you fear the idea of an office visitor?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, there are a few suggestions below to help your office be a productive and welcoming sanctuary. 

You CAN have a more enjoyable work environment:

1) Have a trash can, shredder and recycling bin ready. Then, toss everything that is broken and cannot be fixed (pens, tools, markers, etc.).

2) House all like items together in organizer trays or cups (staples, rubber bands, paper clips, stamps, pencils, pens, envelopes, extra paper).

3) Remove all personal items from your desk. Hang them on a wall, decorative shelf or display them on a cork board if they must stay.

4) Have your phone, computer, printer, fax machine, filing cabinet and trash can within comfortable reach of your chair.

5) Set up trays at your desk for:

- Incoming Mail

- Outgoing Mail

- To Do

- To File

- To Shred

* Sort the papers that were on your desk into the appropriate trays.

6) Gather all sticky notes. Put them on one large to do list OR arrange them neatly onto a dry erase board within eye level to your desk.

Extra Tips:

- Open mail right away & sort it into it's tray or trash bin. 

- If you have papers you need for regular reference post them to a cork board at eye level to your desk.

- Clear your desk at the end of each day. This offers a fresh start to the next day

- Have good task lighting, such as a desk lamp. 

- Fresh air and natural light give a sense of well being and comfort.

- Keep your essentials close at hand and be ruthless with the rest. Your space will immediately look bigger!

- If a spill happens, clean it completely up right away. 

- File each day, don't put it off. 

It's not inspiring to work in a space that is dominated by clutter and mess. It makes you feel out of control. You will not

want to work where clutter is distracting . A cleared desk makes you feel more in control and more confident as you work.

You can find more tips, just like these in the books listed below. In the mean time, stay tuned to the next post on Clutter Free Living.

Exerts and portions adapted from:  

- Lissanne Oliver's Sorted! The Ultimate Guide to Organizing Your Life - Once and for All 

- Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now

- Sandra Felton's Smart Organizing

- Freed & Shapiro's 4 Weeks to an Organized Life with AD/HD

Clutter Free Living: In Your Car

It's not easy to keep a car free of clutter and trash, especially with a family. 

Setting intentional habits is a must. Such as, getting trash out after each trip & unloading your vehicle daily. 

Everyone does better with helpful tools, too.

Here are a few inexpensive ideas to house not only your things, but your family's, as well:

I picked up one of these at a local car wash. This driver's organizer goes into a cup holder - it holds my phone, mileage log, pen, lip gloss and a pair of sunglasses. It was about $7. LOVE IT and use it everyday! 

Make a kid's caddie using a dollar store tote. I love that this is portable and can be taken out for waiting periods where little ones need extra entertaining - this doesn't have to be exclusive for the car. 

An over the door shoe organizer, found also at a dollar store, can be used to keep each family member neat, tidy and ready to go. (Make sure you get the shortest version, so it's not dragging on the floorboard.)

For you overachievers, check this out: First aid, cleaning & skincare items are all available when on the go. 

These items - coupled with discipline - will help keep a neater, more enjoyable ride for anyone. 

Happy Trails! 

"15 Clutter Busting Routines for Any Family"

My cousin sent this info to me recently from Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker. She said that she has already applied so much of this blog to her own household - starting with her kitchen counter tops. I looked over the post she recommended and he seriously brought to words the rules I live by for daily living in our home. I was able to show my husband that I indeed was not crazy in my approach and that other families live like this too - he smiled and laughed.

I hope you enjoy Becoming Minimalist as much as we all have.

Here's his post that we've been applying:

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/15-clutter-busting-routines-for-any-family/

Blessings!
Stephanie