Desk Dots

Desk Dots

NEW Dynomighty Desktop Organizer Desk Dots Magnetic $9.99

Black and White Dalmation Dot Coffee Mug Organizer Desk Dresser Table Vanity $8.79

Sheaffer Vintage Ball Pen Desk -Black-working White Dot ball pen $49.99

Black & White Nursing Hats Dots Coffee Mug Desk Table Dresser Organizer 14 Pkts $10.39

Sheaffer Vintage White Onyx Desk Set–New White Dot Ball Pen installed $69.99

Sheaffer Green Marble SIngle White Dot Ball Pen Desk Set $49.99

Acme Pens Dots Business Card Case Desk Office Business Accessory $37.00

Real H.E.L.P. for Organizing Your Workspace and Uncluttering Your Mind

“Let me guess, you’re the creative type.” That’s what one of my clients said to me after glancing at my desk. Wow, could my disorganization be hurting my credibility at work? Absolutely. That’s when I knew I had to get organized.

According to NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers), organized people earn more, are more likely to get job promotions and simply accomplish more. Plus, people who finally get organized report that they feel more in control of their life and more at peace in general.

Yes, there are such people as professional organizers that are available for hire! For more information and some great tips, go to www.napo.net. But before you hire a professional, here’s some very real H.E.L.P. for you:

H. Handle things only once. You may have heard this before and that’s because it works. When you pick up a piece of paper, deal with it right that minute. You can file it, you can trash it, or you can respond to it. Do this with your emails too.

In addition to your regular files, create a slush file. On this File Folder, put today’s date. All the papers you don’t know where to file right now go in this folder instead of hanging out on your desk begging for your attention. Then put the folder in the front of the filing cabinet in the drawer at arms length so that you can get to it quickly.

After you put all the “un-filables” in this folder, get your planner or pull up your outlook and pencil in a date and time (one to two weeks in the future) that you will go back to the file folder and file the things that can then be filed and trash the things you don’t need.

 

E. Engage others to help with your desire to organize. It really is true that we train the people around us how to treat us. In this age of information overload you’ve got to train people how you want to receive information. You have tools to help you do this.

 

Auto-responder on email is a great way to train people. When someone sends you an email, he or she will receive one back with a message from you. In this message, you can let people know what you want to receive in email, what you want faxed, when it’s appropriate to call, when they can simply send a text message, or that you are unavailable or busy and to give the information to someone else. This is also a great way to tell people that if they are sending personal emails or forwards, they should go to a different email.

We can use the same principle on our voice greeting.

When people show up at your desk with papers in their hand, tell them where and when you want to receive what they are dropping off.  Could they drop it in a file, put it in the in-box, take it to someone else, or take it back to their desk so you can pick it up when you are ready for it?

L. Leave the things that you don’t need out of your workspace. In other words, if you don’t need it to do your job, it shouldn’t be on your desk.

Most people are visual and many of us are extremely distracted by clutter. I love books, so every horizontal space in my home and office was covered with them. I had a string of books lining the back of my desk. As I gaze away from my work to daydream, there they are, distracting me along with pictures of my last vacation, cute fuzzy whatnots and all kinds of unnecessary objects. They had to go.

P. Please yourself. You have to work with your own personality. Don’t try to go against it and adopt someone else’s idea of organization. It simply won’t work.

I had a hard time filing things because I had this “out-of-site-out-of-mind” attitude. That’s why I always had a stack of files on my desk! Because I’m very visual, I had to find a way to work within my personality.

I use colored dots. I put them on file folders of projects that I’m currently working on. Then I put matching dots on an Index Card with the project’s name across from each dot. That way, I could file them away, but I still had the visual reminder (the index card), so they were still “there.”

Ask yourself this question: What level of organization would I need to achieve in order to have peace of mind? Strive for that.

As you begin your quest for organization, go ahead and read the books, take the classes and try the tips. Keep only the ones that work for you and before you know it, you will have enough tools in your tool box to HELP yourself to a more productive life.

About the Author

I work for myslef as a consultant and speaker (www.januariestar.net). I’ve always done some writing, but I want to do a lot more.

I’ve had a few articles published so far. Most of my writing experience is in persuasive copy like ads for TV, radio and print, but I’ve also written a lot of speeches, presentations and web content for clients.

Kansas City is where I can usually be found, but I travel extensively speaking and facilitating seminars. I love traveling and feel lucky that I get to present in front of so many people.

Business writing and grammar are two of the seminars that I teach on contract currently.

Paint in a tube of lines and dots?

I want to add some decorative touches painted a desk. I would like a few lines about the thickness of cooked spaghetti, and some small points. I would like something lifted from the surface. Is there anything in a tube that could be used instead of a brush?

Try using the outdoor folk art paintings dimensions. You'll love the results.

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