Top Tips for Office Organization
If you have been thinking that maybe you should organize your office but you subscribe to the philosophy that "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk the sign of?" then this article is especially for you.
Learn More About Ways to Organize Your Office
If you're already orderly, this article is not for you. You could be writing it.
There are countless highly creative people who seem to be missing the organization gene (if there is such a thing). Some people seem innately organized and are a complete mystery to ultra-creative types who live amid chaos and clutter.
Likewise the tidy, organized souls of this world are mystified by anyone who could possibly function with random stacks of papers that are threatening to topple over, repelled by unwashed dishes in the sink and totally flummoxed by why anyone would still have a calendar from 1988 hanging on the wall without particularly interesting photos in it.
To be certain that it is time to organize your office, consider this. You say you know exactly where everything is amongst the piles and stacks and mounds of papers, sticky notes and miscellanea. But if you find yourself pawing through them frantically saying, "I know it's in here somewhere," instead of laying your hands on them immediately. It's time to get organized.
No, it's never as easy as it sounds. Yes, you're going to have to struggle through this. No, it doesn't have to be someone else's system forced on you. Yes, you'll have to throw away anything you can't categorize and file.
Here are some office organization tips to get you started.
Tip # 1
If you're lacking office organization ideas, enlist a buddy to help keep you on task.
Hint: Pick someone who has a clue about organization but who isn't fanatical about it. He or she should also be someone who is trustworthy, who can be sworn to secrecy, and who can keep you from getting lost reading the fascinating stuff you're bound to uncover. The last thing you need is a "helper" who keeps checking the clock and whining, "How much longer?"
Tip # 2
Expect that the chaos will begin to look worse before it gets better. Your buddy also needs to have an encouraging word for you occasionally to keep you going. And she or he should be right there helping. That said, it's important to note that asking, "What do you want to do this?" with every piece of paper is NOT helpful.
Tip # 3
Set some ground rules. For example, if you're afraid your buddy will throw out something you might want to keep, given the choice, then make a rule that only you get to say what is thrown away.
Tip # 4
Set up a series of boxes for your sorting, because that's what this whole thing boils down to. Going through the paper clutter piece by piece and making a decision on what to do with it. Some suggestions: Shred, Financial-related (not taxes), Work-related, Idea file, Notes to yourself, etc., Memorabilia file (for scrapbooks), Receipts for anything that might be deductible, Pay-related, Important papers, Records to keep, Addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, Miscellaneous, etc.
Some people will tell you that it's not a good idea to handle papers more than once, but in this case, it's easier to do that than to get stuck because you don't know what to do with something. After you've begun to accumulate a lot of miscellaneous, your buddy can go through the box for you and perhaps see categories you haven't thought of. You can always ADD MORE BOXES.
Tip # 5
If you take a break to eat, do NOT leave your office. Order in and then get back to work right away.
Before you know it, you will be able to write this article yourself on how to organize your office. | 
