Comments on: Project: Desk

By: Vanessa McGrady

Vanessa McGrady — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:39:25 +0000

Paul, you are right on the boxes. I still don’t have them labeled and look through EACH ONE when I need something. Maybe that is next week’s task.

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement. Now I feel like I HAVE to succeed.

By: Paul Gordon

Paul Gordon — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:16:34 +0000

Vanessa,
I love the pictures of your office. Good luck taming the unruly workspace. One thing that might help is to have fewer storage containers. The shelf has 8 boxes, next to the cabinet is some boxes. Two pencil drawers and the sheet music drawers (which are very cool). How about two long shelves to neatly stack the things you are working on? But the cold hard truth is to be a little more strict on what you will keep out. Then it is much easier to be neat. Get in there, organize and send some new photos. I know we are all rooting for you.

By: Vanessa McGrady

Vanessa McGrady — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:34:48 +0000

Thanks, Sarah. Those trays are cute and I know I can scrounge up something like that from my own collection. And Julie, let’s not even get started on the closet. But I will say that I purge that quite a bit as I do a lot of thrift shopping and clothing swaps and cycle through a lot of clothes. If I can only find someone to take post-its that don’t mean anything any more, I’d be set!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:17:17 +0000

I think the most important part of staying organized is grouping together similar items, designating a specific spot for them (e.g. current projects go into one basket, etc), and sticking with it.

I have a lunch tray like this one on my desk: http://www.etsy.com/listing/67220604/sale-mid-century-cafeteria-lunch-trays

It’s great for keeping supplies (post-it notes, pens, scissors, etc) orderly yet within reach.

By: julie (etsy stalkers)

julie (etsy stalkers) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:08:54 +0000

your office = my closet. no matter how many times i clean it, my clothes explode about once every two weeks. maybe i should try shredding them.

By: Cerentha Harris

Cerentha Harris — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:45:43 +0000

Julie – if you are feeling brave you can send us a little pic of your space. Email me directly at cerenthaATmacDOTcom

My 5 yr old was home sick today and somehow my entire office/second bedroom now resembles that scissor drawer!
C

By: Vanessa McGrady

Vanessa McGrady — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:01:15 +0000

Thanks Julie. I am also mortified that people can see this, and hoping that my mother in law does not find this post as she may repossess her son.

We will get through this together. Keep us posted on your progress!

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:03:08 +0000

Well, I just have to thank you for being so brave to post pix of your office. My head is hung in shame at the state of my place, but like you, I am working on it. As a fellow writer, I can relate. So much for the paperless society they promised us. Best of luck with this – can’t wait to see the outcome.

By: Vanessa McGrady

Vanessa McGrady — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:53:46 +0000

So I’m getting so far that it’s about not allowing clutter to accumulate in the first place. I do have a shredder that I use religiously.

I think reading Yvonne’s comment that I have to put each paper in its place — which is not the surface of the desk. In fact, this week I think I will try to not let any paper touch the desk.

Thank you!

By: Cerentha Harris

Cerentha Harris — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:28:25 +0000

Ha! A friend just bought a shredder and I thought she was being neurotic. She’s worried about people going through her trash and accessing her private info. But this is actually a sensible use of a shredder. Thanks for the tip.

By: Yvonne

Yvonne — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:27:24 +0000

[This comment has turned into a long one, but organization is a foundation to my creative process. These are just the important things I've come to know about myself through organzing my own work space.]

The most important shift is away from thinking of organizing as something you do for others (good housekeeping) and toward something you do for yourself. Good organization allows you to think better. It may look messy or neat, but your organization will help you think and allow you to do more. That’s how you will know you’ve found the right system for you. It may or may not make the cover of Good Housekeeping, but it will be your system and therefore good.

Look at what you want to do in the space and organize to make those activities more possible. Group stuff you use for the same activity so that you can pull out everything you need quickly and then put it away quickly. This allows you to spend more of your time actually doing the activity. And the painlessness of the setup and take down will make you want to do more stuff.

Being able to put everything away quickly is a product of both having a known place for each item and having enough space for it. When you have found the right system, putting stuff away will almost be fun. Putting things away doesn’t mean shoving everything out of sight. It just means getting the stuff out of your way – physically and mentally – so you can do other cool things.

Know that there are two parts to the process: setting up the original organization and adapting the set up to actual life.

In the setup, pull out everything and group it in ways that make sense. Get rid of trash, duplicates, etc. Donate, recycle, reduce. Look at what’s left and pick what seems like a good way to store the items. If you’re right, you will find yourself able to do more and think better in the space. If not, if you’ve chosen an organizational pattern not based on your real needs, it’ll all go to hell and you can try again with something different. Experiment.

By: Drew Bell

Drew Bell — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:07:37 +0000

Scan and shred. Repeat.

I’m self-employed too, and the looming thread of an IRS audit means I have to track receipts. I use a Fujitsu ScanSnap to put as much paper as possible into Evernote, then tag it carefully and shred the original. SO MUCH MORE ROOM for inspiration and clippings and whatnot.