Organizing Your Desk Space

Many of us spend at least part of our workday in front of a desk that we call ours. For those of us that spend only a few moments or minutes in front of a desk it may not seem very important to have a clean and organized work space. Those of us who spend a lot, if not most, of our day sitting at a desk know exactly how important and vital this is to a productive and efficient working environment. What neither group really knows is how to accomplish and make an organized desk an everyday reality.

In order to make this admirable goal a viable reality, everyone needs a little help now and again. To that end, here are five ways to make your desk more organized. Implement these tips and you are soon going to have not only an organized desk, but a more effective work environment.

• Pens, pencils, and pocket stuff. One of the leading causes for a disorganized desk is an unnecessary number of pens, pencils, and those little things that we carry around in our pockets. Getting rid of any pens and pencils that we don't need, and only keeping those that we use regularly, is going to help keep the clutter down. At the same time, if you have a specific place to keep your car keys, watch, cell phone, and wallet, you keep down the clutter of your desk as well.
• Electronics and wires. The wires that lead to and from your electronic equipment can lend a very disorganized air to your desk. Take the time that you need to go about and organize those wires and electronic components. Doing this, if nothing else, is going to help keep you from accidentally pulling out some wire and losing some time and work.
• Easy access of frequently accessed files. Any desk has a tendency to collect files and paperwork, all of which is going to need organization and filing. Develop a filing system in an easily accessible location from where you sit for files that you are going to be using on a regular basis. For those files that you are not going to be using regularly, you might want to consider scanning them into a digital format on your computer. This is going to significantly reduce the amount of papers that clutter your work area, while at the same time allowing you to have easy access of the same files in the future.
• Drawers. Assign different drawers for different purposes: One for papers, one for cleaning supplies, one for...well, you get the idea. By dong this, you can know without even really trying where, exactly, your materials are located.
• Lighting. This last idea is not related directly to your desktop, but does have a direct impact on your effectiveness in getting your work completed. Considering that different people work more effectively in different types of lighting, find out what type of lighting works best for you. Once you find out which is going to work the best for your circumstances then, if you can, set the lighting to what works best for you.