Organized Work Drawer

Start with an organized drawer

An organized desk supply drawer is essential to saving time.  Stop what you are doing right now at work or home and open up that desk drawer. 

What does it look like?  Is it messy and crowded?  Are there supplies in there that you know are there...but you have to dig every time you need them?  I promise you this is taking valuable time from your day, moment by moment, and it can be frustrating when you are pressed for time and can't find something.

There are a few practical things you can do to streamline this drawer and it will become your helper instead of something that hinders your efforts.

Steps to a tidy drawer:

1. Pull everything out.  (This task really will only take 10-15 min, so don't be afraid to empty the contents to the top of your desk)

2. Sort out everything that should not be in there.  Put these aside to either de-clutter or move to the space where they should be stored.

3. Assess the doubles - Just how many pens, pencils, markers and highlighters do you need?  We all keep a few pens and pencils, but you don't need 5 yellow highlighters!   De-clutter the extras.  Remove anything that you can assess and concede that no one can possibly organize and use that many duplicates of an item.

4. Create or purchase a drawer organizer.  You will see from one of my other blog postings that if you don't have a nice plastic tray handy, you can use small cardboard boxes to instantly create organizing spaces.  Alternatively, purchase a plastic drawer tray that organizes your desk items for you.

5. Keep it neat.  Organizing is a lifestyle, a process.  In the same manner that you would not just do your housework once and expect it's done for life, you can't expect things to just stay organized forever either.  Constant use means things will get in there that need cleaning or organizing. 

Become the Penecillin

In the same manner in which a medicine will work its way through our system and make us healthy, use your organziing like a penecillin method.  If you make a drawer clean, keep it neat as you work to make other areas of your home or life organized.  It has a multiplying effect and it gets easier and easier with each area that becomes more organized.

There you have it, an organized drawer. 

Now you can do yours as you Make Your Life Organized!