How can I organize and clean up my desk?

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I am an independent Avon Representative, am President of our Unit for the American Legion Auxiliary and belong to several other organizations. Add to that the routine personal items such as bill paying, crafts, etc. This creates piles on desk; my file drawer is full and I feel like I'm being buried alive! HELP!!
  8 answers
  • Keri Keri on Jun 10, 2017
    Not sure if you're familiar with Pinterest, but I've found some amazing ideas on their website. Just go to Pinterest.com and search for desk organizing ideas. You would be surprised at how many dollar store ideas there are!

  • Angi Hohensee Yowell Angi Hohensee Yowell on Jun 10, 2017
    I was the same way! I watched a "get organized" television show a long time ago and the lady said, "Creative people are pilers, not filers." She was in fact helping a lady who was an artist and had piles and piles of "stuff" in her apartment. The solution she had for her papers (mail, bills, etc) was to purchase an open rolling filing cart. She said the reason why stuff isn't filed away in a cabinet is because you need to see it to know it's there so the open rolling filing cart thing was the solutions because you don't have to open a drawer or anything. Well, I bought one at an office supply store (only about $30), used it for awhile but it proved to still be "work" to file papers. (Maybe I am more lazy that I want to admit?) The problem continued - piles and piles of papers. Ugh! So then I had an idea: I needed something to just sort stacks of piles -- and this has worked for the past 5 years and still working like a dream -- a letter/mail sorter. It's the kind you sometimes see in classrooms that are cardboard and they hold a sheet of paper. The one we bought was around $100, because it is wooden furniture. But, let me tell you that thing has worked perfectly. Just stand at the open slots with your papers in hand and distribute them to the right slot. And when you need a certain paper, just go to that slot and pull out the papers -- everything is there! So easy and simple and no more stacks of papers laying around. We can finally find what we are looking for!

    • Linda Perkins Murray Linda Perkins Murray on Jun 10, 2017
      Sounds like an amazing idea if my room was bigger and I had a space for that. It also sounds like it LOOKS neat!

  • Judy Judy on Jun 10, 2017
    OH YES!!! THE JOYS OF A DESK!!! DO ONE AREA, ONE DAY, AND VOW NOT TO MESS THAT PART UP AGAIN!!! THEN ANOTHER DAY, LIKELY THE NEXT DAY, DO THE OTHER SIDE, THEN WORK ON TO THE OTHER AREAS, IN THIS SAME METHOD. AIM TO PITCH, RATHER THEN TO STORE THEM, OK? WHEN YOU ARE DONE, YOU CAN HELP ME, OK? HA HA, BEST WISHES, J.

    • Linda Perkins Murray Linda Perkins Murray on Jun 10, 2017
      At least there is a method this way. I will work on one spot TODAY and hope I can keep at it all week. PERHAPS it will clear it and I can only hope it will stay that way. I'm still planning on checking out Pinterest ideas as suggested by Keri.

  • Patricia Patricia on Jun 10, 2017
    We invested in a scanner and a paper shredder. We scanned all our papers and then shredded most of it (we kept hard copies of legal documents). We back up our files onto a hard drive regularly. It's so much easier to find the electronic copies. But I was surprised at how infrequently we needed to access most documents.

    • Linda Perkins Murray Linda Perkins Murray on Jun 10, 2017
      I own both of those things. Now the Epson scanner is taking up space on the desk because I find it tedious to scan and "file" items on the computer. I also worry about filing important things that way lest the computer should die and info is lost. :(

  • Rosalie Rogers Rosalie Rogers on Jun 10, 2017
    I was and still am trying to stay organized. I have everything necessary to be organized but the problem is not putting things back once I have used them. This is a lifelong habit with me and spending more money for organizing ideas amounts to insanity--which is described as doing the same things and expecting different results. My organization amounts to a folder for paid bills and unpaid bills get paid immediately via my computer. The filing is done "whenever". And, yes, I do have a filing system, it just is never a priority. It might require a change of habits in order stay organized and so far I have failed. But all bills are paid on time, appointments are kept, and clutter is still clutter. Good luck.

    • Linda Perkins Murray Linda Perkins Murray on Jun 10, 2017
      I think we're sisters! LOL Sounds exactly like me and my organizing skills. I guess we're not too bad off if we manage to pay our bills and keep appointments. Good luck to you.
      As for me, maybe I need to step up my attempts to change bad habits. Thanks for sharing. I was beginning to think I was the only one with this issue.

  • Rosalie Rogers Rosalie Rogers on Jun 10, 2017
    I love to be validated, don't you? By the way, my son is exactly the same way and earned a PHD in spite of it. Maybe it's hereditary and maybe we're smarter than we think. LOL. Thank you for your response, sister.

  • Keri Keri on Jun 10, 2017
    You're very welcome. I know exactly how you feel about being buried under everything. Sometimes I feel like my piles are growing by the minute!! Good luck!!

  • Judy Judy on Jun 10, 2017
    You can try. Best wishes, J.