The Great Paper Chase
Many people struggle with paper clutter in their offices. One of the best ways to keep paper at bay is to not let it through the door. Unread newspapers and magazines should be recycled quickly. Don't burden yourself with guilt simply because you don't have time to read them. Marla Cilley, the FlyLady, takes her magazines to the dentist, doctor, and mechanic and leaves them there on a coffee table. By doing this, she declutters her own home while offering something potentially useful to these waiting rooms.
Medical and dental records should be kept in a separate file box. Immunization records are especially important and could be needed even when your children start college. Don't count on your doctor to store these records for you, because she can purge or lose these items over time.
Creating an In Box/Out Box
You can also utilize an in box/out box or a to-do box. All papers, except the ones you're currently working with, should be placed within one of these boxes, properly filed in a filing cabinet, or thrown away. Don't allow yourself to create piles of papers, reports, bills, mail, and other documents on the floor or on nearby chairs. After these piles grow, they become more and more daunting and require more and more time to organize.
Office supplies and tools you use regularly — such as your stapler, tape, paper clips, rubber bands, pens, pencils, memo pads and notepads, staple remover, markers, scissors, rulers, and so on — should be kept in a desk drawer that's readily available and within arm's reach. These items should not clutter your desktop when they're not in use. Also, purge supply drawers frequently so that you know exactly what you have and what you need. You don't want to keep a client on hold while you try to hunt down a working pen.
To make your drawers more functional, purchase dividers that create small pockets for each of your supplies. This will help you to keep your drawers in order and to quickly locate everything you need.
Keeping your office free of clutter will require a certain amount of consistency on your part, but it can be done. You only need to feel the rewards of having an orderly office to find the motivation to keep it that way.
On a regular basis, sort through your desk drawers and throw away dead pens, bent paper clips, stretched-out rubber bands, and other useless junk that has accumulated. Don't save business cards if you can index contacts on your computer more efficiently.
