Right now my desk is a complete mess. Now I have a pretty good excuse. I am in the middle of switching over to a new laptop. I'm also in the middle of trying to switch from AT&T to Sprint for cell phone service. An order of sample gifts for clients just came in yesterday. I have rebates from sales that are partially filled out and waiting for additional documentation that is on the way. I'm working with a graphic designer on a new logo, so I have samples stuck to my walls. I don't want to throw away any of the boxes for my new equipment so they are all stuffed under the desk or on a bookshelf. Etc. etc. I'd like to say that the picture above is just something I found on Flickr. … [Read more...] about The Causes of a Messy Desk
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5 Questions To Help Organize Your Desk
Look at your desk right now. Is it messy? If so, don't feel too bad. It isn't uncommon. This post is a series of questions to ask about the stuff that is currently on your desk. Asking these questions will help you find the cause of a messy desk and give you some ideas for stopping the disorganization at its root. This is vastly more beneficial than simply taking the time to clean your desk right now, because if you don't change your process and organization, you'll be back in the same position in a week or so. 1. Do you have reading materials on your desk? One common source of desktop disorganization is reading materials. Magazines, newspapers, etc. that come to you that you feel … [Read more...] about 5 Questions To Help Organize Your Desk
Your Desk its own Desk
With all of our modern gadgetry, it is easy for our desks to get covered with wires, routers, cell phone charger cables, etc. Here is a simple solution to help cut down on the amount of visual clutter you have to face when working. Get a Desk for Your Desk After all, shouldn't your desk have a work area for itself? There is no reason it needs to share with you all the time. :) By getting a small table, shelf or box and placing it under your desk in a place you don't need for your feet, you can move all of your electronics down out of view where they can still perform their function, but not contribute to clutter on your desk. Depending on how your desk is set up, you may even be … [Read more...] about Your Desk its own Desk
Paper vs. Importance
I have noticed the most important people have a very clear desk. This also tends to be the case for people with much less important jobs. To illustrate, I've created a graph. I'm sure this isn't true across the board, but it does seem to be at least partially true. How clear are the desks of the most important three people at your organization? Here are a few reasons that paper seems to go down as importance goes up: The top person can always give his paper to someone else, so it pushes the paper down toward people of mid level importance. The mid-level people will only push the paper down so far, themselves, because it is their neck on the line if something gets messed … [Read more...] about Paper vs. Importance
Productive Home Office
Earlier I asked readers to share their favorite home office tip as a follow up to the previous interview. Here are the responses: Many of my clients struggle with organizing their offices (home or otherwise) because they try to fit a "square peg into a round hole." Meaning, they try to use systems and setup that works for others, but does not match the way that they think and function. Recognize are you an "innie" or an "outtie"? Innies are people that function better (are more creative, get more done, etc.) when their space is clear. They can frequently get distracted to other tasks if there are piles laying around. Tools good for innies are systems with drawers and cabinet doors. … [Read more...] about Productive Home Office
Share Your Answer – Tips for a Home Office
Recently we did a group interview with a bunch of bloggers. Each one was asked for the single most important tip they could share for setting up a home office. The answers were great and I know I learned quite a bit by reading through them. Now is your chance to participate. If you have a tip on setting up a home office you'd like to share, please submit it here. If you have a blog or website be sure to fill in the appropriate blanks--if people like your answer they may want to checkout the other things you've written. We will only keep things open until Tuesday afternoon, so if you have something to share, please do it right away. I'm experimenting with some new technology for … [Read more...] about Share Your Answer – Tips for a Home Office
Advice for Setting up a Home Office – Group Interview
If you like this post, why not subscribe to the RSS feed or email feed for this site? I recently emailed a number of bloggers asking them for the most important non-intuitive piece of advice for setting up a home office. Here are their responses along with my thoughts. If you find a response that seems especially relevant to you, consider subscribing to the author's blog rss feed (included below). I learned this from Tannaz Sassooni, one of my favorite Wise Bread bloggers: Put an old fashioned egg timer on the desk. When I start a long or boring project, I'll set the timer at 15 minutes, and no matter what happens, I'll force myself to take a break when the alarm goes off. At first I … [Read more...] about Advice for Setting up a Home Office – Group Interview
My Desk Layout
This weekend I rearranged my desk. My goal was to remove some equipment that was no longer essential and try to reposition everything where in a way that reflects my work pattern. Here is a diagram of the current layout. I've experimented with the 30 inch display in several different positions. When I started moving things around I originally had it up against the wall, but I found I couldn't see it from that distance. When I got the new display a graphic designer friend of mine asked if I found myself pushing back from my desk because the screen was so huge. I've found the opposite is true. The high resolution means there are quite a few more pixels per inch that what I had … [Read more...] about My Desk Layout
Reader Question: Setting Up a Home Office
From a reader: I'll be moving in a few months and with that comes a new desk and new office space. Do you or any of your readers have any suggestions on what to look at? I'm looking for a smaller desk as all I've got is a MacBook Pro and some trays for inboxes. I'll also need a good filing cabinet to work the GTD system, any recommendations? I figured I'd shoot this in as this may be helpful to not only myself, but to others looking to "Get Organized!" (Don't we all try haha). Also, side note - how about some more video tutorials! Take care, Neil Let me describe what I use. It may not be the best setup for everyone and it is definitely skewed toward equipment that breaks down … [Read more...] about Reader Question: Setting Up a Home Office