The end of the year is coming and lots of people will be making New Year's resolutions to be better organized. When you sit down and start to itemize all of the things that you think you will need to organize all of your stuff it can be overwhelming. You really don't have to mortgage the house to get a grip on the clutter; you may even be able to find some of the tools you need around the house.
Before you go shopping you need to look at your organizational needs and what the items are that you need to find a place for. For example, if you have a home office that is cluttered up you may want to buy a filing cabinet or even some portable file boxes to help you get organized. A simple and easy fix for all those pens and pencils lying around is just to use a coffee cup to put them in. You can use small boxes or baskets that you can stash under your desk to hold other small items like pins, paperclips, and rubber bands.
For a closet that is in a total state of disarray you may be able to just add an additional closet rod or some kind of organizer to help you with storing things like sweaters and shoes. You can find plastic or cardboard storage boxes very inexpensively at a local discount store or even at an online store. If you go with the plastic bins they can definitely help you organize and can be reused over and over again. I have bins like this that I use for everything from important papers, to winter clothes and more. In the garage I use them to store tools and fishing equipment. There is virtually no limit to the uses that these can be used for.
It is important to keep your home organized just from a time saving standpoint. How many times have you gone out in your cluttered up garage to try to find a particular tool or other item and end up standing there scratching your head? It is far better to spend a day and a little money organizing than to deal with that every time you are trying to find something.
As far as time management goes I think it should be obvious that you should have a calendar, this is the primary organizational tool that everyone needs. Whether you use a planner, wall calendar, or desktop style doesn't really matter as long as you have plenty of space to write down tasks and projects. Make a point of keeping it updated regularly and it will help you stay on task.
Photos. You may consider a photo of loved ones as a pleasant reminder of why you work so hard, or as a conversation-starter to get acquainted with new clients. However, photos can quickly accumulate, lining windowsills and shelves, tacked to walls, and taking up valuable desk space. These photos have accumulated over the years, as new ones are added without replacing the older ones. If you like photos, keep just one or two current ones.
Giveaways. How often do you take something from a vendor's display table just because it is free? Then you drop it on your desk. How many stress balls or letter openers do you need? When you have too many, they go into the drawers, onto the windowsills, etc. More than one has no useful purpose.
Memorabilia. Do you really need the little Eiffel Tower from Las Vegas, or the Florida seashell? Sometimes these end up in the office because they do not fit into the house d'cor. They can encourage chitchat as you exchange vacation stories, and then you wonder why interruptions take up so much of the day.
Certificates. Framed degrees and licenses lend credibility to an individual when they relate directly to the business being transacted. However, spreading around all the certificates you gather from continuing education classes gets to be overkill. Choose to display only the most significant documents if you're in a situation where clients visit your workplace.
Books and CDs. Any books that are not related to your business and that are not used as references should be moved to another area, taken home, or donated. If you ordered a set of tapes for your business, have listened to them, and know that you will not do so again, consider selling them at a reduced price to someone else in the field. If you want to keep them for reference, find a way to store and catalog them instead of leaving individual disks strewn around.
Computers. Do you have an older printer stuck in a corner? Box unused computer hardware and store it. Donate older computer parts and get a tax deduction for a contribution to a local charity. What about the extra hard drive, cables, and phone cords? One spare of each item should be enough. How many stray CDs are laying around, and you have no idea what's on them?
Artwork. Drawings by children and grandchildren are precious, but covering a bulletin board or the wall of an office does not lend itself to a professional feeling. If you want to display one or two sketches, frame and hang them. Let the others rotate on your refrigerator.
Miscellaneous. Tools laying around left over from a jobsite or related to a small repair do not need to stay in your desk area. Look around and see how many things are not related to the type of work you actually do in your office. This desk area should not be the company's storage space.
Anything surrounding you that is not useful, beautiful, or treasured by you, should be disposed of in some manner because clutter is messy, inconvenient, and sometimes embarrassing. It affects your space, your time, and your peace of mind.
Both Gregg Hall & Denise Landers are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gregg Hall has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lingerie, Desserts and Mortgage. Gregg Hall is an author living with his beautiful wife and family in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about storage as well as at. Gregg Hall's top article generates over 3350000 views. to your Favourites.
Denise Landers has sinced written about articles on various topics from Time Management Skills, Home and Home Management. Key Organization Systems & CEO Denise Landers trains companies and individuals to organize and manage their time, office space, documents, and workflow effectively for. Denise Landers's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.