Starting the new year with a clear desk

26 December 2016

If you’re like me, the week between Christmas and New Year’s is one of planning and creating order. Last Friday I did a personal planning retreat and set some goals for 2017. That felt great. This week, I’m cleaning up some clutter spots in my office and trying to finish up some projects.

I wrote a post for my genealogy blog, Organize Your Family History with step-by-step instructions for clearing off a genealogy research desk. I’ve adapted it here, because it really applies to desks of any sort!

If you can’t remember the last time you saw the surface of your desk, perhaps it’s time to experience the joy of a clean desk. I know that time is limited and cleaning up your desk may not rank high on the list of ways you’d like to spend your time. but it’s worth it. When you sit down at a clear desk, your mind is more clear and you can be more focused on your research.

Here’s some good news: It doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. Just follow this step-by-step method for creating some order on your desk, swiftly.

Set your timer for 25 minutes.*
Clear everything off your desk (and I mean everything except, perhaps, your computer). Put like things together into rough categories as you go. (For example, put papers together in a pile on the floor near your desk; put office supplies together, etc.) It might be helpful to have some bankers’ boxes or plastic totes handy to hold the categories, but the floor will do too.
Put away the items that already have homes. For example, put binders and books where they belong. If something belongs in another room, put it in a box or bin that you’ve marked “Relocate to Another Room” so you don’t wander away from the room you’re working on. At the end of the session, you can put all that stuff away.
Go through the non-paper items and put back on the desk only those things that deserve to take up such prime real estate. Only items used daily should merit being placed within arms’ reach when you’re sitting at your desk (with the possible exception of items that give you great pleasure to look at). Relocate or discard the other non-paper items that were on the desk.
Take all those papers and put them in a box of some sort. Mark that box “Backlog.” (I use a box similar to this one from IKEA for that purpose and I place that box on a shelf.)
Every time you’re at your desk, set a timer for ten minutes and go through the papers in the backlog, discarding, scanning and/or filing as required. Do this ten minutes a day for as long as it takes to eliminate the backlog. (You might be surprised how few of these short sessions it takes.)
Don’t add to the backlog box. Instead, at the end of each day take the time (probably less than five minutes) to clear off your desk and put everything away. That way, you’ll start each session fresh.

*When your timer goes off, stop what you’re doing and take a five-minute break. Then set it for another 25 minutes and get back to work, unless you’re done.

Tagged with: clean desk, decluttering, new year