Decluttering Your Desk in 5 Easy Steps

I'm not a naturally organized person. I have my moods. Sometimes I couldn't care less about being organized that I mindlessly put my things within arm's length (too lazy to think and move) and this is why my desk is usually a mess. I've got folders, paper, and cups everywhere. But I'm the type who can work (most of the time) on a cluttered desk. It may be messy but I never lose anything and I always know where I'd find what I need - on my desk... somewhere! Sometimes though I get really inspired to organize my stuff. Thank God for these times or else my desk would look like a jungle. I get inspired to do a major clean up operation on my desk at least once a year. This is enough for me to reset my desk and have a fresh start.

So how do I organize a desk with 1 year's worth of clutter? Here's what I do:

1.  Prep 3 containers. Label each "Throw Away", "Keep", "Put Back"
   
   • I use plastic bags, boxes, or whatever is available.
   • Done in less than 5 minutes.
2. Empty desk. Take items off the desk one at a time. Put each item in one of the 3 containers.
   
   • Time spent on this step depends on how much I have on my desk.
   • I Decide beforehand what I'll throw away, keep, and put back to make the process easier and faster.
   • Done in 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Label "Keep" container with "From My Desk" and store.
   
   • I like having all stuff from my desk in just one container so that I'll know where to find them in case I need them.
   • Done in less than 5 minutes.
4. Sketch or visualize the new layout of my desk.
   
   • I don't use up too much time deciding on my new layout. I just divide my desk into sections. I can always re-order my sections after I'm done decluttering.
   • Done in 5 minutes.
   • I always divide my desk into 4 sections:
     
     • Tools: pens, scissors, stapler, puncher, pins
     • Paper: notepads, scratch papers, notebook
     • Files: paper files that I need to be within reach while working like logs and record
     • Work space: an empty space where I do my stuff (writing, doodling, crafts, etc)
5. Put the items back according to new layout.
   
   • If I stick to my new layout, this process only takes less than an hour.
   • Done in 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Total Time Spent: 2 hours and 15 minutes
 

I'm also the type who can't sit for more than 1 hour just doing one thing. So I rest every 30 minutes. I prep my containers and start emptying my desk. If I feel like resting while emptying my desk, I step away from my desk do some stretches and play a game on my ipad for around 10 minutes then I go back to my task.

If you're just like me, give this process a try. See if it works for you.

Tips on Printing Your Purchased Printables

Buying printable items such as calendars, planner refills, journal pages, stationery, tables, templates, and a lot more instead of buying finished products gives creatives some room for modification and personalization. You can tweak the design, maybe add some text or images before printing and you can choose the type and color of paper you'd print on. Perhaps you've been dying to have a purple colored planner but there's none available commercially. If you can't buy one, but you can make one.

Say you decide to buy printables to build your dream planner. Here are some printing tips before you start using up your time, ink and paper:

• Test print before printing multiple copies.
• Check if your paper is thick enough so that the back side won't show through when printing on both sides.
• Printing using the "Fit/Shrink to Printable Area" may produce uneven white spaces around your printout.
• Borderless printing is a little complicated for those who don't usually print borderless and not all printers support it. Here are some things you need to remember:

• Borderless printing is only applicable to some paper sizes.
• In borderless printing, the image is enlarged to make sure that there are no white slivers on the edges. This means that a portion of the image will not show on the printout. This is not an issue if the border is just a block of color and no important elements are near the edges.
• Borderless designs look nice on print but the printing process is a little complicated. I always do test prints whenever I print borderless designs. If you can't seem to figure out how to print a borderless design, you can either take it to a print shop or continue printing with margin. 

Want to try printing your own journal pages or planners but don't know where to find the right printables? You can start searching at Etsy.