Today is the day! If you have been putting off organizing your home office space or your
computer armoire, the sooner you choose to tackle it, the better. Excessive piles of unnecessary papers, bills, magazines, drink glasses, etc., can ruin your productivity and creativity while at your work space in your
computer armoire.
Not only can extra items in your computer armoire create a distraction, they can also turn a half-hour job into a one-hour job, and make finding that one important document the most difficult part of your day.
- Remove everything from your computer armoire. In the process of removing items from your computer armoire, you will quickly discover items that you no longer need. Always have a trashcan standing by! (Maybe several, depending on the severity of your vintage paper collection.) You probably don't need to keep the last forty issues of Time Magazine. Your local library stores them for you!
- Control the germs and the dust in your computer armoire. This is the perfect opportunity to break out the dust rag, a lint-free cloth, and the disinfectant spray. Rid your computer armoire of dust, coffee cup stains, germs, etc. Spray the lint-free cloth with disinfectant spray and wipe everything that you touch. If you have kids who use the computer armoire, wipe all the places they might touch. Reach into all the corners of your shelves, because now is the time to control dirt and grime before it becomes, well, gross. Use a can of air to remove dust and debris from your computer keyboard and computer vents. Don't forget to disinfect the handles on the outside doors of your computer armoire!
- Create file space in your computer armoire. In order to have organization, you must first prepare for it. Place hanging file folders in the hanging file drawer of your computer armoire, and put labeled tabs on the tops. Put your most frequently accessed file folders toward the front of your drawer. Remember, this ongoing computer armoire organizational system can always easily change to fit your lifestyle.
- Thoroughly sort through your papers. Still hanging on to those Disney World brochures, even though you decided to wait a couple of years? Toss them, because you don't need them right now. Hard to part with the hand-made Valentine that little Susie made? Make a separate box for keepsakes. Old bills need separate boxes too. Only keep the papers that have vital importance to you and that you access often. Any extra papers in your computer armoire will only hinder your work.
- Organize your computer armoire office supplies. Again, apply the rule that you should place more frequently used items toward the front of your computer armoire work space. Utilize additional storage pieces, such as a drawer organizer and a pen cup. Put similar things in the same place. This will all save you time in the future, because when you need a rubber band or a paper clip, you will know exactly where to go, rather than hoping that you can maybe find one within that big pile of last year's bills. (Not that you should have to worry about those anymore!)
- Shelve your manuals and CDs. If there is not a CD-ROM holder in your computer armoire, purchase one. You will save a lot of space just by creating a home for all of your discs. If you have computer manuals and work manuals, find a shelf for them, rather than letting them clutter your computer armoire.
- Put a creative and individual touch in your computer armoire. Whoever you are and whatever you do, make your space your own. Your kids will love that you pinned their watercolor painting next to your to-do list. Your parents will love that their picture is right next to your computer. You will love displaying the sculpture that your girlfriend made you during her art class. Keep the personal items out of way, though. You have work to do, after all. Your computer armoire probably has a shelf above your computer storage space - this is the perfect place for personal or decorative items.
- Don't stop now! Now that your computer armoire is clean, organized, and personalized, don't let the clutter build again. Taking a small amount of time every day will result in a productive work space, and a computer armoire which you are proud to present to others.
