Organizing clutter - or how to keep your desk clean(er)

November 17, 9:42 AMWorkplace ExaminerHoward Flomberg

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I think it was George Bernard Shaw who said: Those who can, do. Those who cannot, Teach. With that in mind, lets talk about clutter. I am massively disorganized. However ...

I Googled the phrase eliminating clutter and got 465,000 hits. They all seem to revolve around a single idea - if you don't need it, throw it out. Lets look at a few specifics:

Bills - I pay my bills via my bank - I get on the bank's website, indicate how much I want to pay and hit send. Now about the paper that is sitting in front of me. I'm going to steal an idea from 60 minute's Andy Rooney. When the bill comes in I open it and remove the actual bill. If you're using 43 Folders, this problem is solved, else - set up a Bills Due Envelope. Now what do you do with the stuff left - ads for skin cream or a free credit card. Old Andy had the idea - take all the stuff that does NOT have your name on it and put it into the postage paid return envelope that the billing company so nicely supplied  and let the billing company throw it away! this accomplishes two things - It lets the company know how much you hate this junk mail and it forces the billing company to support the USPS.

Stuff that comes off my printer - You know - the stuff that i print out so that I have the information handy while I write about it. My solution is quite workable. I have two screens working simultaneously. One screen contains the document that I'm working on, the other is my resource screen - I use it to look at other documents, google for information, etc. It really works. Many computers make provision for multiple monitors, however I went back to good old google and googled multiple monitors.  I print as little as I can. 

Stuff that accumulates - Here is my waterloo. The answer is quite simple - a large trash can and the discipline to use it.

Now repeat after me:  I am a compulsive clutterer. We've admitted we have a problem. now lets solve it!