Gremlins in my desk...again...

I always suggest to my clients to be sure and set boundaries for their offices and work spaces. Things like don't allow your children to eat and play on your computer at the same time; be sure your coworker knows to put the file back when it is returned to your office, etc. Well, I have certainly tried to set boundaries with my daughter but she always seems to sneak in to my office when I'm not looking. I tried to find a ball point pen this morning and you can imagine my surprise when all I have in my desk drawer is a red crayon. Doesn't look very professional when I am writing a thank you card to a potential client. At times I have come in to find love notes written to me in the middle of the night. I love that but when I can't find a blank piece of paper to put in my printer, I get a little frustrated. ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE HAS TAKEN ALL OF MY PAPER TO CREATE INVITATIONS FOR HER DANCE PARTY THAT IS TO BE HELD IN OUR FRONT YARD THIS SATURDAY -- I wasn't even invited...sigh...

Hmmm....what will you pick?

Yesterday I mentioned that I have been giving presentations and fielding bunches of questions. Here is another one that I have had come up a few times:

Concern: My desk is so unorganized I don't even know where to start!

Answer: Pick one thing to focus on for 10 minutes a day. One day clear out your junk mail. The next day take care of those sticky notes all over your computer monitor and put them in a notebook. The next day open all unopened mail and file it. You get the idea. Just like cleaning a dirty kitchen -- start with the dishes in the sink then move on to the counter tops. If you take just one small task each day, they will all add up into a clean working environment.

Do you have any specific questions you would like on organizing? Send them my way! You can also follow me on Twitter: snap_organizer.

Questions From the Field

For those of you who haven't heard, I have been going around the Portland/Vancouver area giving presentations on organizing. After each presentation I always ask if there are any questions. Boy are there! I thought it might be beneficial for everyone to post the questions I have been asked with the answers. You never know -- some of the answers might actually work for you!

Question for today: My refrigerator at home is covered in school memos, lunch menus, and other reminders that I need to see on a daily basis. Is there a better way to have the accessible for both me and my grade school child?

Answer for today: Tape them to the inside of a cabinet. Easy to find, out of the way. Viola!

Don't you feel better already?