This Month's Plan

This month join with other club members to organize your desk.

• Enter the steps below into your Navigational Binder.
  or
• Revisit this page to see what task is scheduled for the week.
   
• Refer to your book Your Step by Step Guide To Successfully Organizing Your Life for additional information on how to follow the steps below.
   
• Visit the Message Board to obtain help and advice.

Organizational Goal

The goal is to organize your desk so that you can find what you need in a minute or less, and present a professional appearance to those who visit your office.

Week 1, March 1-7 Organize Desk Top

Supplies You Will Need

• Organizer for small items used daily.
• Give-away, put-away, and throw-away boxes.

Steps To Organize Your Desk Top

1. Remove items from desktop. Use your boxes to sort items.
2. Return to the desk top items that you use on a daily basis, and fit into your desktop organizer.
3. Keep only one knick knack item, picture, or decorative item on your desk. Keep the surface available for your work.
4. Put away items from the put-away box.
5. Throw away items from the throw-away box.
6. Pack up items in the give-away box.

Week 2, March 8-14 Organize Your Drawers

You can organize one drawer every day, or do them all at once.

Supplies You Will Need

• Organizers and drawer dividers.
• Dust cloth.
• Give-away, put-away, and throw-away boxes.

Steps To Organize Your Drawers

1. Empty out your top desk drawer. Use your give-away, throw-away, and put-away boxes to sort items.
    
2. Dust or wipe out your drawer.
    
3. Install drawer organizers to keep the items in your drawer separated into their own compartments.
    
4. Return to the top drawer of your desk small items you use frequently. This will typically be a stapler, extra staples, paper clips, tape, 3M Post-It® notes, three hole punch, highlighters, extra pens, stamps, etc.
    
5. If you have lower drawers in your desk put items there that you use frequently. This may be stationary, paper, note cards, phone book, etc.
    
6. Pack up your give-away items and take them to your car.
    
7. Throw away items from your throw-away box. Get rid of outdated phone books and items that you do not use. Once in the garbage they no longer take up time or space in your life.
    
8. Put away the put-away items, or set them aside until you organize the part of the office where they will go.

Week 3, March 15-21 Shelf Areas

This week organize shelf areas that are above or connected to your desk.

Supplies You Will Need

• Organizers, book ends, magazine holders, media organizers.
• Dust cloth.
• Give-away, put-away, and throw-away boxes.

Steps To Organize Your Shelf Areas

1. Empty off a shelf. Use your give-away, throw-away, and put-away boxes to sort items.
    
2. Dust off your shelf.
    
3. Return items to shelf area. Put items you use frequently where you can easily reach them. Put items you do not use often in areas that are more difficult to reach.
   • Get rid of items you have not been using, or relocate them to long term storage.
   • Keep only one decorative item per shelf.
   • Use organizational units to control books, media, and other items.
   • Use decorative containers to contain small items you need to keep close at hand.
      
4. Pack up your give-away items and take them to your car.
    
5. Throw away items from your throw-away box. Get rid of outdated phone books and items that you do not use. Once in the garbage they no longer take up time or space in your life.
    
6. Put away the put-away items, or set them aside until you organize the part of the office where they will go.

Week 4, March 22-31 Drawer and Cabinet Areas

Use this week to organize drawers or cabinet areas that are in the vicinity of or connected to your desk.

Supplies You Will Need

• Organizers and drawer dividers.
• Dust cloth.
• Give-away, put-away, and throw-away boxes.

Steps To Organize Your Drawers And Cabinets

1. Empty out a drawer or cabinet. Use your give-away, throw-away, and put-away boxes to sort items.
    
2. Dust or wipe out your drawer or cabinet.
    
3. Install organizers to keep items separated into their own compartments.
    
   • Return items you use frequently to places where you can reach them easily.
      
   • Get rid of items that are outdated.
      
   • Move items you rarely use into long term storage.
      
4. Pack up your give-away items and take them to your car.
    
5. Throw away items from your throw-away box. Get rid of outdated phone books and items that you do not use. Once in the garbage they no longer take up time or space in your life.
    
6. Put away the put-away items, or set them aside until you organize the part of the office where they will go.

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right inside of your check register.

BudgetMap