New Year's Resolutions
By Nancy Kruschke McKinney

Did you make New Year's resolutions this year? Was one of them to get your office or desk organized? The biggest problem most people have with desk mess is "piling". Here are a few tips to help you keep that resolution.

Handle Paper Once - Make a decision about a piece of paper, especially mail, the first time it crosses your desk; then file it. Mark those items that require a response to avoid rereading them later. Have a designated spot for those items, like a stack shelf or vertical file.

Whatever your system is, make sure it's labeled so you don't have think where to put each item as it comes in.

Divide and Conquer - If you have multiple piles of paper on your desk currently, don't put them all in one pile and swear you're not going to leave the office "until this mess is gone!" You only set yourself up for failure. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

Keep the piles small. If you do have a large mound, tackle an inch or so at a time. Also, spread the task of ridding yourself of these piles over a week or more if necessary. If it is important to you for the stacks to be gone by a certain date, make sure you schedule time in your calendar each day for 10-15 minutes.

If your desk is piled so high you don't remember what color it is or what it looks like, take it one bite at a time!

Schedule Time - You increase the likelihood of success if you schedule time in your calendar to focus on organizing.

• Magazines turn into mile-high towers either on our desks or on the floor. Here's how to knock the tower down. Schedule 10-15 minutes each day or week to flip through the tower. Rip out articles that interest you. Either file them for future reference or put them on your reading shelf for more in depth attention later.
  
  
• Schedule the last 5-10 minutes of your day for organizing your desk and writing up your To-do list for the next day.
  
  
• Schedule time to do your filing at least once a week.
  

Getting organized is not a one-shot deal; it's an ongoing process that takes commitment. Some of the benefits of getting and staying organized include saving time, money, and effort. Here are some other general tips.

Start Small - Break up the task of getting organized into pieces. Pick one spot on your desk or in the file cabinet to focus on. Work on that one spot until you have cleared it off, then move on to the next one.

Take Your Time - You didn't get disorganized overnight, so don't expect that you will get organized overnight. Take your time and work with the changes you make to be certain you are committed to them before adding another change. If it isn't working, tweak it so it does!

Enlist Help - Enlist the assistance of a friend, co-worker, boss, spouse, or professional organizer to help you get through the process and maintain the changes.

Nancy Kruschke, owner of Successful Organizing Solutions (S.O.S.) is an organizing coach, consultant, and speaker. Nancy can be reached at 608-441-6767 or Nancy@SOSorganize.net or visit www.SOSorganize.net.