4 tips to keep your desk clean

If you're like me, then your desk is always cluttered with papers, bills, books and other miscellaneous items that you just haven't gotten around to dealing with yet. Some people call it 'organised chaos', 'cause it's certainly chaotic but at least you know where everything is, right?

But the problem is, you might know where things are, but how aware are you of the urgency some things have? If they're lying in a disorganised mess and you don't get around to looking at them for weeks, then you might miss the due date for a bill. Or you might miss the deadline for a project. Or you might miss the vet's appointment and your pet dog dies due to your neglect.

Sure, the last one's a bit of a stretch, but I'm sure you get my meaning. Sometimes you just need to keep on top of things, and leaving papers lying around for weeks or more is certainly not the right way to do it. So here's a few tips to help you get yourself organised.

1. Put everything on your desk into a single pile. Put it into an 'in tray', or in a big pile next to your desk. Make sure your desk is now spotless of all paperwork, etc.

2. Start dealing with each item in that pile. Now that you've got your life piled up into one big pile, start dealing with every item, one item at a time. Start at the top and work your way down. Don't change the order of them and don't put an item back. Do what needs to be done with that item, and then put it away somewhere. Your options are to trash it, delegate it, file it, do it, or put it onto a list to do later.

3. Do this every day. The end of the day is a good time, but it can also be good to start at the beginning of every day and keep the processes going throughout the day.

Once you've finished processing all of your items, your desk will be clean, your life will be organised, and you'll be on top of everything on a daily basis. No more unpaid bills, and no more unfinished projects, and your pet will still live! All of these are good things to aim for.

4. Your to-do list needs to be kept up to date. This is an important part of the process. Every item that can't be done immediately and gets put onto a to-do list needs to be done as soon as you're able to. Just like your desk and your in tray need to be kept clean, so does your to-do list. Those items which are on the to-do list also need to be in an 'action' tray, so that you know you have to action them. As you action them, cross them off the list.

Leaving things to do later is procrastination. Anything you put off is just going to pile up. Deal with them immediately, and take action.

It's going to take time to get yourself into the habit, but if you're sick of a messy desk and you want to get your life organised, you'll do it. It's only going to make things easier for you. And once you're used to your desk being clean and tidy, you won't want to break that habit.