Organizing Your Workspace: Getting Started Organizing by Debbie Gilster
As I look around my office my heart starts pounding. My desk is piled
high with stacks of current projects to do. My in-basket is overflowing
with stuff that wasn't really important to get to today. (I took the
really important things out of the in-basket and put them somewhere
else.) If I reach to the bottom of the basket, today would be several
months ago.
Under my desk are boxes of old projects and supplies I just know Ill
need someday. (If I put them in the general supply area, someone will
surely take them!) On my back credenza is a huge stack of magazines I
intend to get to some day. I almost trip over the stack of brochures and
samples right by the door I collected from a recent tradeshow. It all
just got dumped on the floor when I returned to the office almost 2
weeks ago!
Oh no! I can't even sit down in my chair because someone left a stack of
bills for me to approve. I don't even dare look at all of the emails
that people sent me while I've been in meetings. Help! My heart is
really thumping now! Ive got to get this mess under control but how do I
get started?
.Does this sound familiar to you? I hear this over and over from
clients. If it isn’t your office at work, maybe it’s the one at home?
Maybe it is a guest room or even the garage? Getting started can often
be the most difficult step one takes. Most people hate the thought of
organizing their workspace. They want to be organized but they don’t
want to get organized. A problem or mess seems so overwhelming that we
keep running away, hoping it will clean itself up. But it won’t. Inside
we know we cant fool ourselves. We have to do something about it.
So, how do we remain somewhat calm and really take some meaningful
action? By following these four steps for organizing your workspace, you
can make any organizing task seem less daunting.
Organizing Your Workspace: Choose a place to start.
Just decide. Is it the desktop, or the floor or your email folders? Look
at what is bugging you the most. What will bring you the greatest stress
relief? As a professional organizer, I often suggest you clear off the
areas you use every day first, like the top of your desk. Just seeing
the top of your desk will motivate you to continue. At home, maybe it is
where you handle the mail or the stuff on the guest bed. There is no
right answer of where to start though. You just need to feel a sense of
accomplishment by doing something. You can get to it all in good time
once you just get started. The sooner you start the less overwhelmed you
will be.
Organizing Your Workspace:
Decide your time block.
Determine how much time you can really give to getting organized. Will
you do a bit each day or will you come in on a Saturday? Realistically
look at the place you have decided above to organize. Estimate the
amount of time it will take to get this area in order. If the time seems
too long for you, then make the place to start smaller. When a task
seems too large, we often lose interest. We don't want that to happen to
you. It always takes more time than you think, so add a little more to
your estimate for some wiggle room. Now, schedule a meeting with
yourself on your calendar. If the total estimate is more than the time
you can give at one sitting, then schedule multiple meetings with
yourself. We have a tendency to do what is on our calendar more than
what is on a list or idea tucked away somewhere.
Organizing Your Workspace: Get your tools. It doesn't
matter what the project is, if we don't have the supplies we need at
hand, then we get sidetracked or use this as an excuse for not
finishing. Have enough file folders, stacking bins, drawer dividers, or
whatever you need for your area at hand in the right size and color.
Look through your office supply catalog or search around on the
pendaflex.com website for some ideas.
Organizing Your Workspace: See yourself finished.
Close your eyes and envision what the area looks like when it is
organized. Is it perfectly neat or just straightened up? Straightening
up is ok - it is a start. If your time estimate doesn't match your
desired end result, then you may need to make a change. Add more or less
time to achieve your desired objective. What do you feel as you envision
your area? Less stress, your face beginning to smile and a more positive
attitude is what most people say. Now remember that feeling. The
positive feeling we get from organizing our life is what really keeps us
motivated to do more.
Now, stop beating yourself up as you look at your office. You
can
do it. Just get started. Even half an hour a day will make a difference.
Getting organized is a process, not an event. Just keep moving forward
at whatever pace you choose. You'll surely have it done in no time and
the feeling will be well worth it!
Debbie Gilster of Organize & Computerize is a productivity trainer who
teaches people how to work and live more simply. She has helped hundreds
of individuals and companies to streamline their everyday processes to
become more productive. She was the vice president of the National
Association of Professional Organizers. See
www.OrganizeAndComputerize.com for more ways to live a simple life. Debbie
can reached at 949-389-0440 or via email at
Debbie@OrganizeAndComputerize.com.
