Your desk says a lot about you. Whether it’s your work desk or home workspace. Whether you work in the corporate world, in the non-profit sector or are self-employed, your desk and organization can speak volumes about your productivity and efficiency.

Organization and tidiness is key, no matter how many people say that they think better with clutter. Clutter and disorganization are both time wasters and in this busy hyper-connected world, you need to be organized to keep everything on track and maximize your effectiveness. Whether you use your new found extra time to work more or to play more–it’s up to you–but learn how to make more time by banishing clutter and creating organization.

 Tips to de-stress your desk…and your life.

1. Digital Desk

These days your desk is not just about paper; much of our work and our organization (or lack thereof) is done in the digital sphere. A messy digital desktop is just as bad as a messy physical desktop. Keep your desktop and hard drive organized and tidy by using folders and coming up with a filing system that works for you. Organize by project type, date, work in progress or completed, name of clients, etc.

In addition, tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote can be useful in expanding your storage capacity and helping you create some organizational structure.

2. Calendar

Consider keeping a digital calendar, if you are not already doing so. By keeping a digital calendar, you can have access at home, work and even across devices. Google Calendar is what I use, and I like that I can easily link to other calendars (like my husband’s calendar) and that I can color code items. I even sync mine to my Facebook account, so my Facebook events show up on my calendar.

The days of having separate work and home calendar are past–our lives are too integrated and fast-paced. Save time and become better organized by using a digital calendar.

3. Physical Desk

Even though so much of what we do is online, we still end up being paper pushers. That means you must develop a system for managing those piles of papers on your desk. Do not let your desk become just a collecting place for receipts, bills waiting to be paid and everything else that needs attending to.

Create a clear system for how to handle incoming paper and outgoing paper. I have a system in place on my desk: unpaid bills go in one place, items waiting to be filed go in another place, items that need some attention (like calling to clarify a bill or with following up with some action) go in another place, etc. Whenever I sit down at my desk, my work is already organized and laid out in front of me.

In addition, discipline yourself to do your filing regularly. I file items weekly in my home office. Finally, decide what supplies you need on hand, i.e. stapler, scissors, stamps, pens, etc and keep those in handy organizers–keep everything else stored away.

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The post How to Declutter Your Desk and Increase Productivity appeared first on EcoSalon.

The home office is too often an afterthought and those working from home find themselves working on the kitchen table, the coffee table or wherever there’s space to put a laptop. Obviously, this is less than ideal. Not having a dedicated space keeps you from being as productive as possible and you need some home office ideas.

In this new economy, many of us have us found ourselves working from home. The reasons vary, but whether your company allows you to telecommute or you are freelancing, the need for a dedicated home office is there. But what if you don’t have a spare room that can be turned into an office? Even if you live in a small apartment, it is possible to carve out some space for your home office, just follow these home office ideas.

1. Get in the Closet –  Convert a closet into a built in office. Leave the doors on to hide it away when not in use or take them off to create even more space.
2. Go High –  Using vertical space will allow you to have a smaller footprint. Tuck a desk into the corner and add shelves all the way to the ceiling for the printer, filing, office supply storage and more. (Just make sure to adequately secure your shelves to studs to make them sturdy.)
3. Divide and Conquer – Add a room divider to cordon off a space for yourself in the dining room, den, kitchen or whichever room is large enough. The divider will allow you to have a messy desk without anyone seeing!
4. Coming in for a Landing – Sometimes, the only usable space left in a home is the stair landing. If you have an underutilized landing that only seems to be a junk collection spot, consider turning it into a space for your desk.
5. Under the Stairs –  Landing might not work, but what about the space under the stairway? It is often under-utilized. Add a desk and shelves to make it yours.
6. Corner It – Creating a home office in a corner can maximize your usable space. Keep things simple, as to not jumble the room up too much though.
7.  Old-Fashioned Secretary – No, we are suggesting your  hire a secretary, but utilize a secretary desk.  They are a practical way to have a desk without adding the clutter of the desk to your main living space.
8.  Double Duty – DIY yourself a double desk and get more bang for your buck. Two office spaces for the price of one!
9. New Meaning to Mobile – Add wheels to desk and you can roll it around the house to move it out of the way when the need arises.

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