Posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 13:55:40
In reply to Re: seeking inspiration!, posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 5:08:45
Coral, I'm trying to do a major clean & organisation of my house. After a grueling 1 1/2 months of reading, numerous phone calls (many of the numbers given me weren't even the right ones), talking to realtors, & the most kind helpful mortgage broker I've ever seen, I (well, actually my son) will be the owners of our own home - at last!!! Plus I've been dealing with a very sick kitty for the last 3 weeks. I'm hoping to finally get organised & maintain it. I've been stressed to the max & I handle stress very poorly.
I'll suggest something for your office I'm going to use for myself. But don't make the mistake of trying to accomplish this in one day. Pace yourself. A good marathon runner always paces himself - consider this a marathon.
1. Get a number of large cardboard boxes. An excess is better than running out & needing more.
2. With a large dark marker, label each box (e.g. letters, or papers to look over, or pens/pencils, paperclips & paraphenilia - whatever you need to label).
3. Then starting in one corner, just drop in each item you pick up. Don't bother checking it over - that can be done once the office is cleared. Don't make the mistake I sometimes do of starting to pick & choose from here & there. Start in that corner & move your way progressively through the rest of the room.4. I would suggest having a separate box for garbage & another for items you're not quite certain where they fit. In half a day, the office should be clear & empty except for boxes.
5. Move all boxes out of the room, & vacuum, dust, & wipe. Your office will now be ready for your new computer.
6. It's maddening to have all those wires & cables that are attached from your comp to printers, scanners, speakers, etc. Most office supply depots have inexpensive flexible tubing you can run the cables & wires through to keep them tidy. You can also buy some vinyl coated hooks in different sizes & attach them to the side of your desk or wall to hold some shorter cables & wires out of the way.
7. Then choose one or two boxes a day to sort out. Pick the needed things first like paraphenelia & papers.
8. I have a few inexpensive magazine holders to keep papers in.
http://www.schoolsupply.com.au/images/2010001.jpg
It takes up less room than in & out trays, & it's easier to leaf through the stack to find what I need. If you have lots of papers, I'd suggest about 5-8 of them with labels of A-D, E-M, N-S, & T-Z on each one to keep them in order. Be frugal, don't buy anything until you need to, otherwise you add to the clutter. Make sure it has a real use in your office.9. If you have a computer hutch, keep related books on top of it, & software you don't need often in the small cupboard or shelves. Keep what's needed the most in easy reach & quick to find.
10. Have your phone & phone book on a small table or shelf beside you.
I'm really a whizz at organisation. I don't think it's fair to say ADD people aren't good at organising. It's just I'm 200% better at disorganising!! If only I could remember to put everything back when I was finished with it!
I hope these steps are helpful to you. Pick & choose what may apply best. It's tailored for my needs, not yours, so I'm not certain if it'll work for you.
poster:IsoM
thread:35567
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030120/msgs/35737.html