How to Organize Your Desk

Do you absolutely hate a cluttered, messy desk?

Is it hard for you to find the things you need, when you need them?

Do you want to organize your desk?

Me too.

Desk Organization

A cluttered desk is one of my absolute nightmares along with pretty much every episode of hoarders. The sheer idea makes my skin crawl.You have no idea how many times I organized and cleaned my desk at my old job- I shared this desk with four other people because we all worked different shifts. I hated having pens, pencils, and other knick-knacks just scattered everywhere. Now that I work from home I don't have to worry about other people touching and messing up my nice, neat drawers, but still its a struggle to keep my desk clean and tidy.

Until a few days ago, I was working on a small, cluttered desk that stifled my creativity and progress. Luckily, my husband was able to snag a free desk from his work because a drawer face fell off. We quickly put the face of the drawer back on and commenced setting up this huge desk. I now have a space to work and paint, and I'm so excited.

How to organize your desk

1. Start with a clean slate: Take everything off of your desk. Empty all of your drawers, surfaces, and clean everything off.
2.  Get rid of things that you don't use anymore: I bet that there are random pieces of paper, used folders, and other things that you no longer use or need anymore. Instead of keeping these items, just toss them.
3. Get some containers: Gather some containers to keep all of your stuff handy and neat. I bought some glass bowls from the dollar store to hold all of my paper clips, thumb tacks, and everything else.
4. Seperate everything else into categories: Separate everything that you have just taken off of your desk into categories. Use a container for each category, and determine if it is important enough to be on or in the desk. If something doesn't belong, just set it aside and decide where it goes later.
5. Make sure it works for you: After all of this work, make sure that the organization system you have just implemented works for you. Make sure that you can get everything you need quickly and without any hassle. Otherwise, you will wind up with a cluttered, messy desk all over again.
6. Personalize your space: All work and no play makes me a dull girl. Make your home office cozier by hanging up some artwork that inspires you. This is something that I plan on doing in the very near future!
7. Sit back and relax: Congratulations, you have officially learned how to organize your desk!

A few tips:

• Try not to put too much on your desk top.
• Make sure that all of your pens work. If they don't toss them!
• Keep a file handy for loose pieces of paper so they are not flying around everywhere.
• Keep a calendar on a wall or on your desk top so you can stay on top of important deadlines and dates.

Questions? Comments?

If you have any questions, comments, or personal stories, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!