Beautiful and Practical Desk Organization Strategies

Since I published my Oct 2 blog, Does Your Desk Need a Makeover, I have been inundated with readers asking for more information on how to keep a messy and disorganized work space.

Here are a few more tips I can share:

1. Eliminate all desk organizers and file folders. These are huge barriers to a messy desk. Plus filing is tedious and boring just like the rest of your job. Why would you want more of that in your life?
   


2. Keep your letter tray full. Never ever discard documents. Keep items like memos, print-outs and random things in piles on your desk. Not only will this add much needed clutter to your desk, but the extra paper has an added benefit: it will camouflage you so your co-workers will not be able to see you when you’re at the desk. They will just see a huge mess. Avoiding your colleagues means you won’t have to help them with a project or other distasteful , work-related, time wasters.
   


3. Keep all pens that have run out of ink. You don’t need them anymore but that doesn’t mean they should be discarded. Saving them provides a splash of colour and intrigue. Plus, it’s a way for you to remember all the good times you had using them at work. It helps cement those precious work memories deep into your cerebral cortex so when you’re old you can look back at that pen with fondness and relive the “good old days” you had at your desk.
   


4. Keep books, photos, and left over food wrappers on your desk. You’ve likely read other articles which encourage you to hide, minimize or dispose of these items. Let’s dig a little deeper and see what’s really going on here (note: Dr Phil would encourage us to do this). Hiding your books indicates you’re afraid to let people know that you read. This is something to be proud of. Don’t hide that fact. And don’t be ashamed of those photos of your loved ones even though they may not be attractive. Sure you could have done better and married someone hotter but you didn’t. Display those pictures proudly. And for heaven’s sake, having a candy bar wrapper on your desk shows you are really trying to fill your body with enough sugar so you can plow through all that work the company is making you do at your lower-than-industry-standard salary.
   
   So remember, if someone tells says your desk is “messy” they are really saying it’s marvelously mesmerizing :-)