Today is "Clean Off Your Desk Day!" I challenge you to get your desk cleared today. Then leave a comment letting us know ONE odd thing you found on YOUR desk while cleaning it off.

Need some simple home office organization ideas?

Want to learn how to organize your desk in a way that increases your productivity and efficiency? Keep reading!

I'm in the process of wrapping up my 2014 accounting and getting 1099's out before the deadline at the end of the month. I rarely ever get my books in order this early. I'm usually closer to April 15th getting everything done and filed, lol.

It's a new year though, a fresh start, and a great time to do things different - meaning BETTER. And to finally get more organized. Don't you agree?!

To prepare I had to clean off my desk from all the clutter that had piled up with the million and one projects and tasks I always seem to be doing simultaneously (ack!).

Clear the desk, clear the mind.

A clean, organized work space makes a HUGE difference in your focus, clarity and productivity!

How To Organize Your Desk For Productivity

I'm a very "out of sight, out of mind" type of person. Everyone is different, but if I were to put mail in a drawer I would totally forget about it!

Until they came to shut off my electricity, that is -lol. Fortunately I got smart and put my utilities and most other bills on auto-pay years ago.

This "quirk" of mine plays a part in how MY desk needs to be organized - and likewise, you should consider your natural tendencies when organizing YOUR desk.

It's important to choose organization methods that will actually work for you, not against you. You also need to make simple "habit changes", otherwise it's a total waste of time to organize as your space will just end up back in the same shape over and again...

Start by analyzing your usual habits:

What tends to get done, and what do you forget or lose or fall behind on most? Map out a quick list to get a feel for the pros and cons of your current desk setup.

Next, ask yourself WHY? It is probably for one of two reasons: your habits/tendencies, or your priorities. You may have good intentions with a certain goal, but if it just sits there and never gets done... it's obviously not a true priority for you.

That's something to consider. You may have too many priorities. In that case, it's time to simplify and focus on your TOP priority (or top three, perhaps) for awhile.

Like I said, I'm very "out of sight, out of mind". I tend to be super focused and one-track minded, especially when I'm in my home office or at my desk.

That makes it easy for things to pile up around me - fast! Which is NOT ideal... for my productivity OR for when I have unexpected company pop in.

For me, the high priority and/or daily "stuff" needs to be ON my desk, front and center. Everything else needs to find another place so I can focus on those things and actually SEE them and get them done.

Move everything OFF your desk, except what you are working on right now. Then, before moving on to anything else, deal with everything that is left on your desk. Mail is one example. Don't just move it around - get it done and get rid of it! Work through everything else that is left on your desk in "get it done" mode. Then consider what is left - what needs to stay ON your desk, and why...

"Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started." -David Allen

I picked up this tip (and that quote) from Leo Babauta in Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System. It is the absolute best book I've ever read on learning to become more productive and efficient. It's a simple matter of making small changes and functioning at your highest potential in every moment - and it's so easy to do!

Leo is brilliant.

One of the keys is to find a logical place for everything. Like your keys, ha! If you always put them in the same place, you will never lose them. If you always deal with the mail the minute it comes in, it will never pile up.

A good rule to live by is: "Don't touch it more than once."

(That includes email!)

See it, do it, done.

^ Your work space should be organized in a way that makes this EASY.

What Needs To Be ON Your Desk?

Once you've cleared your desk, dealt with trash and mail (and dust!), consider the things you constantly reach for - or the things you use daily. These are the ONLY things that should take up space on your desk.

I don't use my printer daily for example, but I do need it handy. It takes up a lot of space on my desk, so I moved it to a small table beside my main desk.

My cordless phone (*gasp* YES, I still have a landline! lol) is something that has NOT been on my desk but I am constantly reaching for it. It's quite small compared to my printer/scanner - so that was a smart trade for desk space.

I also usually have a stack of books and magazines I am currently reading sitting on the edge of my desk. While it's convenient, it looks "messy". I decided to grab a set of nice bookends on Amazon to take care of that.

If you're an Amazon Prime member, there's no need to go out on some big "organization" shopping spree. Just go to Amazon and grab a few key low-cost items to organize your desk and home office space. It'll arrive at your door in a couple of days and you'll save lots of time & money that way!

I found I didn't need much - some nice bookends, a mail organizer, and I ordered some large storage bins for a variety of things I need to store (such as years worth of tax documents, for example).

See: Desk Accessories & Work Space Organizers

* The desk organizer featured at the top of this post is the Rubbermaid 12-Slot Organizer, 21W x 11 3/4""D x 16""H, Black (1738583).

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Get Rid Of The Clutter & Paper Piles!

I've been SO much more productive and efficient since I moved away from paper and started using Evernote. You can use it for everything from tasks and ideas, to keeping a running grocery list, and even to outline your books & products! It syncs across every device you own automatically, and it's free to use. You'll never lose anything again.

Consider all the papers and/or notebooks on your desk now. If those ideas and notes were in Evernote, you could easily use the SEARCH feature to find anything super fast. It's clean, organized, efficient - and a huge time saver!

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I hope this gives you some ideas to better organize your desk, and challenges you to get your desk and work space cleared today!

Stay tuned! Next we're going to look at creative ways to organize your digital files for increased productivity, as well as more easy Home Office organization ideas!

Best,

p.s. If you need a Strategy Session to kick of 2015 and get on the fast-track to success, you can secure it now and then schedule it anytime in the first quarter at your convenience. Or consider joining us in the ClickNewz Mastermind instead. It's an awesome group and there are tons of perks...

I would love to help you reach your goals this year!