Free Your Mind of Clutter



Image by Karen Cardoza via Flickr

 

Is this your office space? Is this your entire house? If so, this is probably how your mind looks as well if it were possible to flip the top of your head open and see your thoughts. Don’t worry, I’ve been there too…many, many times. It starts with a couple of sticky notes, which you’ve placed to “organize” your thoughts. Before you know it, the neat stack of papers you intended to file have now turned into a mountain, which keeps topping over and sending papers into the crack between the wall and desk. I know, I know, you have good intentions. Me too. So, why does this keep happening?  

 

If you want to be free of clutter you have to have a good system in place where it doesn’t feel like a chore to maintain it. When I worked in manufacturing we learned an organization method, originally created by the Japanese, called 5s. The five S’s stand for sort, set-in-order, shine, standardize, and sustain. It sounds simple, and that’s because it is. Allow me to break it down further. I’ll use an office space as an example.

 

·         Sort – Remove everything from your cluttered desk and begin sorting the items in three categories: keep, throw away, and put away. The keep items are things that belong in your office space: stapler, pencils, mouse pad, etc. Throw-away items are simply that, things that need thrown away: old sticky notes, junk mail, pens that won’t write, etc. Finally, the put-away items are things that you want to keep, but they don’t belong in your office space. Put those where they belong.

·         Set-in-Order – Once you’ve sorted everything and you’re left with only items that go in your office space, you need to organize them. Put all your working pens and pencils in a single spot where they’re easy to reach and won’t spill out into other areas. I have a three-drawer bin under my desk where I keep office items that I use, but not on a frequent basis. For example, CDRs, mailing labels, etc. Only put things on the surface of your desk that you use multiple times per day.

·         Shine – Now that everything is organized, you need to clean your office space. Swipe those sticky fingerprints off the computer screen, remove the dust from your desk’s surface, and sweep the area under your desk, which rarely gets attention. It will make you feel better – I promise!

·         Standardize – Your desk in now neat and clean, so now is the time to put systems in place, which will allow you to make this a standardized process. If you allow papers to collect on your desk because your filing system is unmanageable, then it’s time to fix it. If trash piles on the floor next to your feet because the only trash can is two rooms over, then buy a small trash can for your office space. If you don’t fix the underlying problems, then your cleaning an organizing efforts are only a bandage, not a long-term solution.

·         Sustain – Your systems are in place that will help you to control the clutter, so now all you have to do is maintain the process and keep it that way. This tends to be the hardest part for many of us, but a little effort each day goes a long way.

 

Although this methodology was originally created for a manufacturing setting, I’ve found that it’s very useful for any workspace. When you’re environment is cluttered, it’s hard to be productive. Clearing your mind of clutter can be as easy as clearing your desk.

 

Do you have an organization method that works for you? Please share!