How many
times have you walked into your home office only to cringe, turn around, and
walk out? If you spend more time thinking up reasons to avoid your office than
actually working in it, you may be suffering from 'mess related stress.'
I've been participating in a "Clear the Clutter" challenge this month. And it truly has made me realize how much junk the average person collects that just isn't necessary. I have cleared a lot of space in my home - and my life - since beginning this challenge.
The fact
is, clutter is more than a time and space waster. Clutter causes stress. Let's
take a look at the typical home office hot-spots and learn a few tricks for clearing
the clutter to create more calm.
Desk
Whether
you have a huge antique roll top desk, a modern massive executive desk, or a
tiny computer cart, your desk is going to be the repository for a lot of stuff.
Much like
a closet, the bigger the desk, the bigger the mess. Purchasing a larger desk
will not solve the clutter problem. However, organizing the space you have
available on your desk will definitely help.
Start
de-cluttering your desk by making a clean sweep of the top, cubbies, and
drawers. All that should remain is the hardware, such as the computer, printer,
etc. Once you can see your desk's surfaces, the mess that should jump out at
you first is the tangle of cords. Even though electrical and computer cords
don't exactly infringe on your workspace, the visual impact most certainly will
stress your brain. Clear this mess by corralling those cords in simple
cardboard or foam tubes and get them out of sight.
Now that
you have a clear surface and neatly tucked away cords, set up a few containers
for those items that you always need. You'll probably want small bins or cups
to hold pens, pencils, and notepads. However, your needs may include
paper-clips, staplers, tape, rulers, and calculators. The idea is to only have
on your desk what you need to work, and to have those items stored in handy
containers.
You will
want a nice big clear area on your desk to actually work on the project you
have at the moment. Therefore, rather than pile your desk high with an entire
week's worth of work, choose another area close by to hold the papers, books,
journals, or other bulky items you'll need later.
That
brings us to the most common home office clutter monster - papers. This
includes projects, notes, mail, and all that paperwork we just can't seem to
get rid of. There are, however, ways to tame even this monster.
Papers
As
mentioned, you want to remove the pile of papers from your immediate work area,
most likely your desk. In order to have a good work space available on your
desk, the paper has to go somewhere else. But, there's more to de-cluttering
than just moving papers around.
We all
have paper to handle every day. We take notes, we get mail, we save receipts -
the list is endless, just like the paper. If you tend to toss every piece of
paper into the In-Box in your office, perhaps it's time to stop treating all
paperwork equally.
To set up
a system for paperwork that doesn't just become another pile, you will need to
divide your office's In-Box into categories. For example, set up three boxes
and title them "Immediate," "Tomorrow," and
"File." Anything you have to
handle before you move onto another task goes into the "Immediate"
box. Something that is not as time-sensitive, but needs to be checked again
tomorrow, obviously goes into the "Tomorrow" box, and things that
don't need any further consideration can simply go into the "File"
box to be stored when you have time. Of course, you will really have a fourth
box – the trash can – to complete your paperwork system.
If you use
this method, remember to keep the papers moving daily, and clean out the filed
papers on a routine basis, which brings us to the next area where clutter often
reigns - the file.
File
Even the
best file cabinet or closet fills up when left unattended. You may think
"out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to this clutter, but that
couldn't be further from the truth. Knowing you have mountains of clutter
lurking behind closed doors is enough to cause 'mess stress.' You don't have to see it every minute of
every day to feel that stress gnawing at you.
Start
clearing the stored stuff out of your files, shelves, and closets by first
finding out what you actually need to keep. There are good lists available on
many websites, including the IRS. Use these guidelines to begin purging
documents that are no longer needed for tax or estate purposes.
Now you
can begin digging into those items that are no longer relevant. You may find
old manuals for equipment you don't have, or receipts for items way past the
point of return. Many of these items have simply been forgotten. You may even
find boxes and packing materials for items you have no intention of ever
shipping anywhere. It's time to discard those "some day we may need
these" items.
Discarding
old paycheck stubs, receipts, and empty boxes is pretty painless. But, the next
step can be a bit more difficult. This is the area you dread most - the
emotional things.
Projects
These are
the crafts you started, magazines you saved, and other items you kept because
you loved something about them. Maybe it's a book or magazine with decorating
ideas or recipes you wanted to try. It may be a story you saved to read later.
Perhaps there are pictures to be framed or cards to be stamped. The point is,
there are projects lost in a pile and it's a difficult thing to deal with.
The
easiest method for clearing the stuff you are emotionally attached to is to get
rid of the extras. For example, take pictures or scan those craft ideas and
recipes and download them to files on your computer, then toss the magazines.
Go through all your projects and purge items you no longer need or want. Any
school or daycare would be happy to take your extra ribbon, fabric paint,
glitter, card stock, stamps, and other leftovers.
If after
clearing out the extras you are still faced with piles of projects, consider
making a small investment in some inexpensive shelving to neatly house your
projects. This simple storage solution can go a long way to
de-cluttering, and de-stressing.
Now that you have your desk cleaned off, your paperwork moving smoothly from start to finish, your filed items purged, and your projects reduced and neatly arranged, it's time to sit down and get some work done. What a relief to finally be rid of that creeping clutter. Enjoy your 'mess-less stress-less' home office!
