Spring Cleaning Made Easy
Filed under: Organizational Tips
Tags: home office, home-based office, office, spring cleaning
Spring is finally here and for me it’s a time of reflection, spring cleaning, and lots of outdoor activities. I get energized just thinking about it because I also get to remove anything in my home office that I have not used or touched in over 6 months.
Ok. So I still need to declutter my office desk. It always seems to be the last thing I declutter. Maybe it’s because I use it daily. Here’s what it looks like right now but I AM working on decluttering it.
Anyway, I LOVE to keep things simple so I devised an easy 3-step process that has worked for me over the years. It’s so simple and guaranteed to work that I just have to share it with you.
I simply start with a large empty box, laundry basket, or whatever storage container I wish to use, and gather up all the items I haven’t used or touched in over 6 months. I then sort them into 2 separate piles:
- Keep
- Donate
Any item I haven’t used or touched in over 6 months but IS needed for future reference is placed in the “Keep” pile. Any item I haven’t used or touched in over 6 months and IS NOT needed for future reference is placed in the “Donate” pile.
Next I take the items placed in the “Keep” pile, box them up and place them in storage until the time comes to use them. This way they are not taking up any extra office space and I know exactly where they are when I need them.
To finish up I get rid of all the items in my “Donate” pile and dispose of them either by:
- donating items to another small business owner/non-profit organization
- simply trashing items; usually items that would be of no value to anyone
Practice this 3-step process every 6 months and you’ll be amazed at how much more efficient you will work in your uncluttered office space. And if you want to take it a step further why not GO GREEN in your home office? Check out 11 Ways to Go Green in Your Home Based Business to get started now!
I have to run now and go declutter my office desk! And if you are in the process of decluttering your office space feel free to share your before and after pictures on the wall of my Facebook page.
About the Author:
Katrina Chesney is Founder & President of Portable Hands, a Virtual Assistance firm that provides leverage for small businesses.