How to Organize Your Desk Like a Minimalist for Maximum Efficiency
How to Organize Your Desk Like a Minimalist for Maximum Efficiency
The Ultimate Desk Organization Guide for Boosting Productivity!
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Having a clean and organized space is crucial to making progress in any attempt at productivity. A cluttered workspace is a cluttered mind. You can’t really delve into your work efficiently if you constantly shuffle around papers or can’t even find your pen.
Cleaning off your desk and keeping it clear of loose papers or a frenzy of Post-it notes will help you to sit down and get straight to work. Once your desk has been cleared, implementing a simple, organized layout will be effortless to maintain. This will ensure the possibility of maximum productivity every time you sit down.
If you’re a solopreneur, it’s crucial that you stay organized. Everything is on you. You must keep up with all the content, due dates, and systems to grow your business. This will be impossible if you don’t have a dedicated and organized workspace.
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How to organize your desk to boost efficiency
This process is broken down into the geographical sections of your desk. We will discuss each area, one at a time to get a proper layout of what belongs where. Organizing your desk in this way will help you to tackle the process in a step-wise manner.
Work through each area and declutter. As you remove excess objects, set them aside until you come across their new “forever home.” This way, you are not constantly cleaning multiple areas of your desk at a time.
If you have to move an item to an area you have already cleaned, make sure to put it in its place. This will help you avoid jumping back and forth in your efforts. It also has the added benefit of helping you get in the habit of putting things away the first time rather than piling them into a mess.
Everything on the top of your desk should have a permanent home.
The only things on top of your desk are the things you’ll need every sit-down. Everything in or on your desk should have a permanent home. This includes a spot to keep stationery, your inbox, and a dedicated place to work.
Having your current pens, pencils, highlighters, and a ruler, in a cup or holder will keep them secure and out of the way while still handy. Line up your stapler and hole puncher next to it in a corner. There should also be a permanent home for your laptop or computer monitor if you work on a PC.
Everything that stays on your desk should have a dedicated spot. Once this space is organized, you only need muscle memory to find it. Not having to lift your eyes means nothing will distract you from your current task. To find what you are looking for, all you have to do is reach. This is the best way to boost efficiency.
If you can, avoid having your printer on your desk. This takes up precious workspace and will cause constant distraction when printing. It should still be within reach, preferably without having to get up or walk too far. Keeping your printer on a shelf beside or behind your desk is usually best. Printer paper and extra notebook paper can all be kept below the printer.
Anything you use relatively often should be in the top drawer of your desk.
This would include Post-its, pencil crayons, or markers for making diagrams. You will use these items regularly, but not every single time you are at your desk. You might use them for a portion of a project or every once in a while. These items take up too much space to permanently live on top of your desk. Pull them out and put them away as needed.
The second drawer should be items that use moderately often. This would include things you might use weekly, like notebooks, sharpies, etc. Your backup supplies of pencils, pens, pencil lead, etc., can also be kept here if you don’t have a shelf for storage.
If your desk doesn’t have drawers, consider purchasing a cart or caddy system that can be tucked underneath or beside it. Having adequate storage within arms reach is imperative to keeping your desk clean and organized.
If you have to get up and walk around whenever you need a pen or paper, it will eat away at your productivity. Even if you are perfectly prepared to start your work, something more will always be required. Whether it is a ruler to draw a line or a white-out to correct a mistake, you will always need something.
Keeping these items within arms reach but tucked out of the way will help you stay focused and on task.
Use an inbox to store tasks you can’t get to immediately.
Having a dedicated inbox on your desk or near it is essential. You need to have a place to put your “to get to” items when you can’t take care of them right away. The inbox is not a dumping ground, but if you have something that needs to be addressed that you can’t commit your focus to right away, this is where it should be placed.
Another great idea is to keep a shelf entirely dedicated to your work. If you have a lot of extra room, this shelf or table can serve almost as an “inbox” specifically for different projects. On it, you would have a dedicated place for each of your current projects where you could stack your materials as you work on them.
Each stack would contain the notes and other materials for that specific project. As you work on it or gather materials, you can put them with that particular project until you are ready to move on to the next step.
This type of organization is helpful if you make a lot of content. In this example, you might have a shelf that houses all the material required to make your Youtube videos, a second for your blog content, etc.
When you are finished working, remove all the materials you acquired throughout the day, and deposit them back into their respective stacks. This gives all your work a home, rather than just overstuffing your inbox or having them clutter your desk.
When it is time to get to work, you can easily pick up the entire stack for the project you need to work on and get down to it. This way, you can avoid unnecessarily sorting and scrambling through other projects and their materials during your scheduled work slots.
Immediately you can get on with the business of sorting that day’s notes and adding them to your blog posts or incorporating them into your scripts. Keeping these organized stacks together will stop you from having to collect each of your materials from various locations or searching through a pile of notes. It also avoids having to keep an intricate filing system.
Keep a whiteboard in your workspace.
A small whiteboard on which you can write notes is handy for short-term lists. This is also a much better place to stick your Post-it notes. If you are not able to mount one on your wall, try making a small one out of a dollar store picture frame, to keep on your desk
I love a good brainstorming session. I often do this when planning content or my next course. I regularly whiteboard my ideas and work on them over several days. This way, I can collaborate with my team on ideas and make changes as necessary.
It’s also great to discuss something on a video call or remember something quickly. I’m constantly leaving little notes and phone numbers on my whiteboard until I’m ready to add them to their permanent location.
Whiteboards help you to avoid having a flurry of Post-it notes. List all your great ideas on the whiteboard until you’re ready to deal with them.
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Colour code your workflow.
Another great way to keep your space organized is to colour-code your workflow. Keeping a coloured theme for all the materials related to each type of content or product will help you quickly locate and keep track of everything you need.
Continue this theme into your schedule when blocking off time throughout your days and weeks. For example, use that same colour to commit blocks of time to that project. This way, you can make sure you’re allocating enough time to cover your obligations. This ensures you are not just focusing all your efforts on one type of content. It’s especially helpful if you don’t really enjoy a particular task. Allocating time specifically to it will make it less likely that you will completely neglect it.
These simple organizational tips are going to amplify your productivity. They may seem small, but together they add up to significant improvements in reclaiming and managing your time.
Organize Your Workflow with Motion
A clean and organized workspace is essential, but it’s not just about decluttering your desk. It’s also about organizing your workflow to achieve maximum efficiency. That’s where Motion comes in.
Motion is your digital workspace companion that complements your physical workspace organization. Here’s how it can help you achieve a minimalist and productive workflow:
1. Streamline Your Tasks:
Motion helps you prioritize your tasks and plan them efficiently. By scheduling tasks based on their importance, you ensure you’re focusing on what truly matters without distractions from a cluttered to-do list.
2. Clear Mental Clutter:
Much like keeping your desk organized, having a clear plan for your day is crucial. Motion helps you remove the mental clutter by giving you a structured schedule, allowing you to focus on the task at hand.
3. Stay On Track:
Using Motion’s smart scheduling, you’ll be able to keep your priorities straight. It auto-adjusts your schedule as new tasks come up, ensuring that no project falls through the cracks.
4. Minimize Time Wasted on Organization:
Motion’s intuitive interface reduces the need for manual task tracking and planning. You won’t have to shuffle through different planners or sticky notes to see what’s next; Motion’s got you covered.
Incorporating Motion into your daily routine will help you stay organized beyond your physical desk. It’s the ultimate companion to a minimalist and productive workspace, allowing you to achieve more with less.
These simple steps set you up for success. Learning to organize your desk efficiently will keep you on task and focused. You won’t be searching for a pen or scrambling to figure out where you wrote that phone number. You will take command of your day with ease and confidence.
If you want to start your own business, don’t forget to pick up this free how-to build an online business printable checklist. It will lead you through the entire process in a step-by-step goal-oriented method. Download it here.
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