I’ve been dealing with some neck and shoulder pain that I’m told is a result of poor ergonomics. That was my cue to research buying an electric sit-stand desk, something I’d been thinking about for awhile. The desk has been in place for about three weeks and I LOVE it!
Tagged with: clean desk, desk, elfa, furniture, health, ikea, repurposing
During the lockdown in 2020, I did three tiny projects challenges and blogged about them. These were small organizing projects I could complete in about 30 minutes or less that I did for five days in a row. It was a great way to keep busy and I loved the results. I resurrected it in December 2021 and I’ve decided to make it an annual December tradition. Feel free to join me in challenging yourself to complete one small organizing project a day!
Tagged with: decluttering, desk, tiny projects
In organizing, we call this anchoring. If you put a tray or basket under a more-or-less random pile of stuff, it feels orderly. Think salt-and-pepper shakers and other tabletop paraphernalia. They can feel scattered if unanchored but if a tray is placed underneath, it feels organized.
Tagged with: clean desk, desk, worth repeating
Today’s tiny project was the organizer on the desk in my home that I call the household desk. This teak organizer is a clutter magnet (as such organizers often are).
Tagged with: decluttering, desk, tiny projects
Today is my fifth and final tiny project of this challenge. It’s the top drawer of the desk we call our household desk. I declutter it every decade or so. And today when I opened it I realized it was ripe for a tiny project challenge.
Tagged with: 15 minutes, clutter, decluttering, desk, office supplies, organizing, tiny projects
Today I focused on the little drawer in my laptop stand that houses office supplies I want close at hand.
Tagged with: 15 minutes, desk, office supplies, organizing, tiny projects
Phone cables are vital items, used daily, but they’re such a pain to store, aren’t they? A couple of weeks ago, I revamped how I store my ear buds and phone charging cable at my desk, and I’ve been so happy. I thought I’d share here.
Tagged with: clean desk, cords, desk, home office
In organizing, we call this anchoring. If you put a tray or basket under a more-or-less random pile of stuff, it feels orderly. Think salt-and-pepper shakers and other tabletop paraphernalia. They can feel scattered if unanchored but if a tray is placed underneath, it feels organized.
Tagged with: clean desk, desk
Last week, my desk got out of control. I had a leather in tray that was overflowing, despite my having gone through it recently. I had a busy client week and spent what time I was at my desk dealing with urgent items. Look how bad it got. (I’m not proud of this picture.)
Tagged with: clutter, decluttering, desk, habits
My desk needs some serious help at the moment, probably because I’m spending too little time in my office these days. This weekend, I plan to focus on creating more visual peace in my office. I’m taking inspiration from this blog post, which I first posted on February 18, 2013. I’m so glad I signed up for Jen’s program and I wish she were still offering it!
Tagged with: clean desk, clutter clearing, declutter, decluttering, desk, home office, jennifer hofmann, worth repeating
Nearly three years ago, I moved my desk 90 degrees. The impact was immediate and amazing! I’m still loving the placement of my desk, so I thought I’d repeat the post I wrote about it in 2013.
Tagged with: clean desk, clutter clearing, declutter, decluttering, desk, furniture, home office, jennifer hofmann, worth repeating
I originally posted the blog post I’m reprinting below on September 8, 2011—with the title _When worlds collide (in a good way). I stumbled on it in my archives today and I thought I’d share it again. Incidentally, the client gave me that slip of paper and it’s been posted on my bulletin board ever since. It always makes me smile._
Tagged with: decluttering, desk, worth repeating
I’m not somebody who switches furniture around. I know there are people who consider that fun, but I’m not one of them. I typically agonize over the placement of furniture and once it’s done, that’s that.
Tagged with: clean desk, clutter clearing, declutter, decluttering, desk, furniture, home office, jennifer hofmann
I recently signed up for the fabulous Workspace and Studio Redesign program offered by Jennifer Hofmann of Inspired Home Office.
Tagged with: clean desk, clutter clearing, declutter, decluttering, desk, home office, jennifer hofmann
I was helping a client clear off the top of the desk in her home office. It was one of those desks where stuff gets added over the years but very little gets subtracted. I love those jobs because it’s kind of a time capsule. And, often, we find fun stuff.
Tagged with: decluttering, desk
Mark Forster is my time management guru. As I’ve blogged about before, I loved his book, Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management
Tagged with: autofocus, balance, control, desk, empowerment, focus, goals, mark forster, priorities, productivity, task management, time management, to-do list
My point: I didn’t clear off my desk yesterday before ending the work day. The reason is that end of the work day didn’t involve my desk. But still, it was a shock to arrive at my desk this morning and see some clutter on it. The worse part is that it was very little clutter—it would have literally taken about 60 seconds or less to put everything away.
Tagged with: accountability, clean desk, desk, don't break the chain, ikea, motivation, sally brown
As I’ve endlessly documented in this blog, I vowed this year to form the habit of clearing my desk at the end of each work day. The idea was that I would start work each morning with a clear desk, a clear mind, and major productivity. It’s something that I’ve strived for for decades and never been able to achieve.
Tagged with: accountability, clean desk, desk, don't break the chain, motivation, productivity
As I’ve written here before, I decided on January 1 that 2008 would be the year that I take control of my time-management issues. That day, I selected probably a half dozen time management books from my shelf, each one espousing a different philosophy. I thought I’d make a commitment to a single system and really try to adhere to it for a month or so.
Tagged with: balance, control, desk, empowerment, focus, goals, mark forster, priorities, productivity, time management
The habit I’ve been trying to instill with the Don’t Break the Chain method that I wrote about in a recent post is clearing my desktop at the end of the workday.
Tagged with: accountability, clean desk, decluttering, desk, don't break the chain, goals, habits, motivation, productivity, time management, workspace
I was interviewed recently for an article at AuditNet, a website for auditors, about clearing your workspace and keeping it in order. Check out my tips at the Q&A here: Taming Office Clutter
Tagged with: decluttering, desk, press, workspace
Ten days and two posts ago (on a Monday), I wrote this: I hope and trust that on Friday I’ll post that I had a clean desk-top every day for five days running. You’ll just have to take my word for it.
Tagged with: clutter, decluttering, desk
I just discovered something about myself. I’ve always known that, for me, clutter causes stress. And stress tends to cause clutter. Typically, my stress starts because I’m too busy. When I’m busy I have no time to put anything away. The clutter grows and grows and looking at it stresses me out. It’s a vicious cycle.
Tagged with: clutter, decluttering, desk, stress