Clutter can build up on your desk quickly. It can get in the way of your work if you must move papers simply to reach your mouse. What about under your desk? Do your feet get tangled in a mess of cords? If this describes you, here’s a few tips to help your get your wires and work under control.
- Tackle the wires – There are two good options here: one affordable way is to invest in a few large binder clips. These clips, obviously, work great for keeping papers in order. You may be surprised at how effective they are for keeping computer cables under control too. The more expensive option is to invest in wireless charging pads. These pads enable you to charge everything from a wireless mouse to a digital camera to your smartphone. No longer will you need dozens of wires to plug into your mobile and wireless devices. With a charger, you can simply connect these devices to one mat-shaped device, popularly known as a powermat, to recharge them, again substantially reducing your reliance on computer cables and power cords.
- Reduce desktop clutter – The simplest way to reduce this mess is to rely less on paper. With so much business communication occurring through email, there’s less reason than ever to clutter your desk with printed memos and messages. Avoid, too, from printing out news stories, time sheets, and other business communication. The more paperwork that you store electronically, the less paperwork you’ll need to spread across your desktop. For those papers that you utterly must have, store them in binders or file cabinets and store them as quickly as possible.
- Throw things away – This may be the most self-evident one but it’s remarkable how quickly sticky notes and other scraps of paper can build up. If you are done with a note you wrote yourself, or a printout from a meeting, just throw it away. If you’ll need it later, then file it in the appropriate place. The faster you get these things off your desk, the more effective you will be. Often visual chaos can lead us to feel like we have more difficult tasks ahead of us than may be the case.
