If you work from home or aspire to work from home you probably have the same problem, a cluttered messy desk. On top of the normal desk clutter you may have some frequent visitors: Barbie, Barnie, Elmo and Mario. The mess makes it difficult to get to work and focus on the tasks that need to be completed. We all put off cleaning up THE DESK because it is a daunting task that will take too long and accomplish too little. Follow these steps to quickly clean up your desk and you will be ready to make money working at home in 60 seconds.



Get Ready

First Find three boxes, bags or containers. Box one is for the items and tasks that you are going to complete today. Box two is for the items that you are going to complete over the next week. Box three is for the things that you have kept but will probably never get to. You know, the things that you feel are important enough to keep but not important enough to address. Also have the trash can available for everything else.

Get Set

Find an egg timer, watch, clock or anything that buzzes. Set it for 60 seconds. If your desk is really messy you may need a little longer. You can set it for 90 seconds. This is a trick I learned from my kids. When I wanted them to clean up I would set the timer and they would race to complete the cleanup task. It gets you going and it is really fun.

GO!

Now take all the items off your desk and put them in one of the three boxes. Don't think! Just do! Don't open things and consider their value. Use your first instinct and throw it in a box. Go!

Did You Win?

If you made it in 60 seconds then allow yourself a victory lap. Run around your desk and give your victory speech. Once you catch your breath take box three with all the unimportant stuff to the garage or the attic. In six months get back to it. If you haven't wanted or needed anything from the box then throw it away knowing that you are not going to miss anything in it.

Now grab some windex or pledge and give the top of your desk a nice shine. Stand back and admire your handy work.

Take box number one and complete all those tasks today. Each day take a few items out of box number two and place them in the "do it today" box. By the end of the week everything should be completed.

Start Every Day With A Clean Desk

If you start every day with a fresh uncluttered desk then you will be more focused on the tasks of the day and not distracted by the clutter of yesterday. Working from home is a great privilege but as I tell my son "every privilege comes with responsibility". You are responsible for organizing and motivating yourself every day. Now that you have a clean desk you can get your work done and make lots of money for Barbie, Barnie, Elmo and Mario.