National Organize Your Home Office Day – oops
Did you know that National Organize Your Home Office Day was back on March 13th? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. But it makes sense to take on that project at this time of year since income tax filings will be due next month, and it sure would be helpful to have an organized office so you can pull all of your necessary documents together!
Home offices come in all shapes and sizes. Some offices are housed at a desk built into a kitchen counter. Some home offices are in what used to be the dining room or guest bedroom. And some home offices are whatever table that ends up with the stack of mail.
No matter what your situation is (or what day it is), follow these steps to be a part of National Organize Your Home Office Day:
1) Grab a timer, a trash can, a recycling bin, a box for papers that need shredding, a box for papers that need sorting, and a box for papers that need to be set aside for your taxes.
2) Quickly glance at the top of your desk area and set aside any critical papers that you’re working on so that they don’t get lost.
3) Set your timer for 15 minutes.
4) Pick one corner of your desk.
5) Dive into the pile on that corner, working your way down one paper at a time and sorting papers into your various containers.
6) When the timer rings, do a quick victory lap around the house for completing 15 minutes of scintillating sorting!
7) When you’re ready (be it in a few minutes or later today or the next day), re-set your timer and repeat.
Once you’ve sorted through all of the objects and papers on your desk, you’ll have an idea of what types of files or other storage you need in order to help you keep your office organized year round.
For details about how to dig out of a buried office or how to set up a productive office (the perfect activities to celebrate National Organize Your Home Office Day! – be sure to read Chapters 11 and 12 in my book, The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.
