Your home isn’t the only place that can benefit from a good clean this spring. Office spaces can become bombarded with papers and projects, so give these tips a try to get your office under control.

1. Go through old papers

Stop ignoring the stacks of old papers and files that seem to keep growing. Go through all of your papers, and ask yourself if you need it, why, and whether or not you need easy access to it. Then, you can create a filing system that fits your needs. To cut down on future paper clutter, consider the necessity of printing the documents you receive, and whether or not you need a hard copy of them.

2. Clear your desk space

Only the items that you use on a regular basis should be kept on your desk within reach of your arms. These items include computer and keyboard, telephone, a pen or two, a notebook, a lamp, and maybe a family portrait. Everything else should find a new home in your drawers, cupboards, or filing cabinet.

3. Sort your desk drawers

Cramming unessential office supplies into desk drawers is something many are guilty of. Take the time to go through the items in the drawer, and get rid of any items that aren’t necessary. Consider using drawer dividers or compartments for smaller items like paper clips and rubber bands. Throughout the year, clean and de-clutter the drawer.

4. File your emails

Create a filing system on your email account similar to a real-life filing cabinet, and assign these files based on the subject matters of the emails you receive. Whenever an email appears in your inbox, address it, and then move it to the designated folder to eliminate a cluttered and confusing inbox.

5. Organize your desktop

When your desktop becomes so overrun by icons and documents you can no longer distinguish what the background image is, it’s time to sort through everything you have saved there. File away old documents that you may need again, and send everything else to the recycling bin. Applications that are not used regularly should be deleted from the desktop and main docking station and relocated to the start-up menu.

Clutter is what stands between YOU and SUCCESS!

Over the next little while I will be writing about clutter, the scale of measure and things we need to do to move us towards to success.

What does the clutter say – lack of focus, procrastination, lack of attention – You may experience some or all of these things.

Are you finding yourself asking - Where do I start?

A good idea is to go room by room and do a survey. Ask yourself some questions such as:

What does my clutter say about me?
Is my room tidy and neat
Is it paper clutter and minor clutter?
Is it happily cluttered?
Is it messy?
Too embarrassing to invite any one in?

Biggest Clutter Problems

The biggest clutter problem in many people’s lives is paper.

If we stay on top of things we prevent feeling overwhelmed. Unfortunately life gets busy and paper piles up from time to time. It is then that we begin to feel overwhelmed. We can’t keep up and sometimes we feel like we are so deep in the clutter we cant get out.

Once you decide that you need to take some action it is a good time to begin asking yourself some challenging questions that will ultimately help you in the long run. Take a few minutes to ask why we are holding on to stuff and what is the use and how the stuff is contributing to our lives.

Are you holding stuff out of fear or just no time to get to it?