Organizing Your Work Space--Part One

Writer Wednesday

Being organized has many benefits. Among them are being able to find things easily, which in turn makes you more productive. And who wouldn't want to be a more productive writer?

Here are some things you can do in your office to make it more efficient, and you more productive.

• Set aside space in your home that is dedicated to your writing. If you move from space to space, you will tend to drop notes, files, mail, etc, wherever you land next. Then when you need that note or file, you will have to search for it. If you dedicate a space to your writing, all writing-related material should land there. Thus, you will know where everything is when you need it and know what you have to do.
• Keep only those items you need on a daily basis on your work surface. Why use up precious real estate for items you aren't using?
• Create folders for the following--"TO DO", "PENDING", "TO READ", and "TO FILE". These should be on top of your desk so you can use them and reference them every day. Check these files every morning to plan your day, and every evening to anticipate the next day.
• Keep only those items you use on a regular basis in your work space. This is similar to the above, but is more about files and storage. If you have files you no longer reference regularly, pack them away and move them to a different room. Your files will begin to overflow if you keep everything in your immediate space. It will become cluttered, as will your mind and creativity.
• Set aside time each week to do your filing. This may be on Friday afternoon after putting in a week of writing, or Monday morning to clear your desk and start fresh. Write the time in your calendar so you don't forget. Keeping on top of filing will make it less painful than addressing stacks and stacks of paper every few months.