I have always believed that a messy desk is the sign of a brilliant mind, well at least that is what I continually tell myself to rationalize the chaos that is my work space.

I am on day two of having my business partner in the hospital. (All is well, she came thru surgery like a trooper!  I will let her tell you that story once she is feeling better)  Only day two and I feel completely overwhelmed.  Sigh.  

So as I was sitting agonizing over what to blog about today I remembered that I promised Kik that we would have a super organized work space by the time she returns...umm...well, let’s just go with somewhat organized with a plan to keep improving.

And like divine blog inspiration, as soon as I logged into Twitter this morning I see a great tweet fromLeslie Josel from Order out of Chaos. Her Post lead me to read a terrific article in Forbes, The Dangers of a Messy Desk by Jenna Goudreau. 

Stated in the article, “According to a new survey of over 1000 workers by staffing firm Adecco, a majority of Americans (57%) admit they judge coworkers by how clean or dirty they keep their workspaces.”

Good Lord, I am in trouble and better get to cleaning NOW! 

So here is my 6 step plan to Desk Organization:

1)  Schedule It:  Set a time everyday to clear your workspace.  I use my HATCHEDit Calendar to       make sure I stay on track.  Even if it is just 15 minutes, that can make a world of difference.

2)  Manage Your Time:  It is essential to not get sidetracked. I am the queen of the wandering focus     so I actually use a kitchen timer to ensure I only spend the allotted time on the scheduled task.   
    

 

4)  Everything Has Its Place:  Do not fall victim to the “misc.” pile!  I LOVE to make piles, obvious from the photo I know, but what I really need to do is FILE not pile.  Make sure you allocate a place for everything.  This will prevent future growing “piles” (or at least make them smaller!) 

Best of Luck...I know I am going to need it!!!!

M.