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Ah, a clutter-free (and colorful) home office space. Photo: Stacy Anne/Flickr
Messy desk? Organization expert Peter Walsh recently launched a line of office organization products with office-supply mecca, OfficeMax, that should help. Peter's [IN]PLACE System is an attractive line of office supplies that would work well in both a corporate law office and a start-up indie business.
One thing I personally appreciate about the line is that it's designed with portability in mind. Peter seems to understand that offices today are often mobile, which is great for those of us constantly on-the-go. In conjunction with his launch, Peter shared five tips for keeping your desk clutter-free.
1. If like me, your work area is covered in post-it notes and to-do lists, you'll be relieved to hear that Peter says hanging reminders in your workspace is okay. (Hallelujah!) However, he recommends you put all of those sticky notes and reminders in one place, that way you'll have all your need-to-know information in a place you can actually find it.
2. Keeping track of your appointments (let alone, your whole family's schedule) can be tricky. Peter recommends you keep one calendar with all of your engagements, color-coding each category. For example, social engagements might be red, while work-related events would be blue.
I'm a fan of organization guru Peter Walsh's new line. Photo: Peter Walsh
3. Don't hang on to papers and files because "I might need it" someday. Peter encourages you to conduct a file purge every six months. Be brutally honest with yourself about what you will and won't need to use in the future.
4. Files can get overwhelming quickly. Peter says "a little separation is a good thing." Keep current files close at hand, and place files you only use once in a while in a separate filing cabinet with clearly marked labels for each folder. Peter's clever Interlocking Hanging Files ($11.99) let you keep projects together.
5. It's okay to keep the papers you're working on now right on your desk, but don't just pile them up. Every paper should go into a labeled folder, which can then be place in a desktop organizer for easy access. We love Peter's [IN]PLACE SYSTEM Desktop File Sorter ($34.99) because it has customizable slots, which can be made bigger if you have a large file to accommodate.
