Three Ways to Declutter Your Office For 'Get Organized Month'

Although the National Association of Professional Organizers sponsors "Get Organized Month" every January to help people streamline their possessions, if you're working in a quiet office this week it may be the perfect time to organize your work space before 2013 kicks into high gear. Susan Fleischman, home stager, professional organizer from Chicago told CNN, "As joyous as the holidays can be, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's is probably one of the most stressful of the year for people." Her solution? Spend the week after Christmas decluttering because it "really helps you recover and detox from the hustle and bustle of the holidays." Plus, similar to how we get determined to accomplish New Year's resolutions, the same could be said for wanting to get completely organized. She added, "It's very symbolic -- we're ramping up to the ultimate do-over. We all get to turn the calendar page and make a fresh start." Here are three ways to make a fresh start... 1. Define what organized means to you and then implement it. Does it mean having color-coded hard copy folders in your office? Does it mean going through paperwork in that misc. desk drawer to scan everything so you simply have access to a soft copy? Or is it just a matter of physically seeing what you have in your office and determining what's important to keep versus what's a no brainer to toss? 2. Give yourself a deadline with mini-timeframes. Perhaps today you'll decide to tackle your desk and tomorrow you'll connect with your filing cabinet and bookshelf. Don't attempt to tackle everything in one day -- the same holds true for decluttering your home. As such, ensure you're equipped with the right supplies from the beginning as in trash bags, shredders, markers, the works. 3. Go from horizontal to vertical piles. As mentioned in the piece, if you're powering through piles of papers, clear piles from your desk and floor by putting new files into a cabinet or upright vertical file. This will permit your eyes to scan what you need at a glance.

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Three Ways to Declutter Your Office For 'Get Organized Month'

Vicki Salemi

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Vicki Salemi