You walk into your office on a Monday morning and see your room as if a dozen piñata was smashed in it.  Paper files, clips, print ads, used cups, memos, mementos, and more cover your entire desk like a piece of collage.  While some of us actually intend to see their offices in ‘ordered’ chaos, most of us can’t function more efficiently in offices like that.  If you’re not into the whole ‘ordered’ chaos thing and your desk still looks like it was bombed by F-14s, then you could start de-clogging your workspace by following these simple tips.

Minimize

It is time to be the arbiter of your things.  You can take the first step in de-cluttering your desk by segregating the things you need and the things you can put away.  Empty your drawers and shelves and, one by one, separate the needed from the optional objects.  Pack the latter in cardboard boxes while arrange the rest neatly back in your drawers.

Reduce Wires

Have you ever been caught by one of your own wires?  Loose wires are actually dangerous!  You can electrocute yourself especially if you’re like me who always swings his foot while typing a memo.  Imagine how many electronic files have been lost or corrupted just because they have stepped on the extension cord switch.

Eliminate the problem by making sure that all the wires are in place.  You can do magic with pegboards, wires, and some carpentry skills!  Just install pegboards under or on the back and sides of your desk, attach extension cords, wireless routers, LAN wires, and external CD burners with wires and presto! you never have to trip over some wires again.  Do it alone or let others do it for you.  It will cost you only up to $40 dollars, and you can use it only after one and a half to two hours.

Invest in Shelves

You may be saturated half to death by the ads you see on TV and print ads, but hey, they work.  Books, newspapers, and paper files can occupy a big desk in a few weeks’ time.  Eliminate the problem by having a small shelf that could support the books, newspapers, and paper files away from your working area.  If you have concrete walls, overheard shelves can be used to make your office space bigger.

Buy Yourself Some Cupboards

Do you have those small china cups, saucers, and silverware that you don’t want to get dirty?  How about some lean cupboards to free up some space in your drawers?  Having cupboards around is an excellent way to store not only your favorite dinnerware but also your most favorite memorabilia and your most precious files securely in place.

Use a Corkboard

Post-Its posted on a messy desk are waiting to get lost and be forgotten.  Eliminate the fuss of getting meetings canceled because of you by hanging a cork board on your modular partition or wall.  If you want, you can draw grids on the corkboard to mark the dates so you can post memos neatly over the cork board.