Desk Organization Help!

[Frugal_Cheap_Pants]

My desk is in a mess...any frugal tips to help me keep it organized...

[cheapbastard]

We paint old tin cans with groovy colours and patterns and use them to hold pens, pencils, and scissors. This takes care of some of the clutter.

[cercis]

What kind of mess?

My desk is always a paper mess. Always. When I lived where I had a filing cabinet, I'd throw the paper in a box and then every so often, I'd file while watching TV. I think I'm going to buy a plastic file box and then every so often, pull it out and file while watching tv.

So, for paper mess, I suggest a file box and a "storage box". Sweep all the papers off the desk into the "storage box" and then one night when it's cold and you're bored, pull out the box and the file box and file everything away.

For "notions" - pencil boxes and tupperware type containers work very well. Shoeboxes decorated with wrapping paper, fabric or left over wallpaper are really nice and would work as well, especially if you have smaller boxes like for babies.

[PrincessPerky]

My solution to my desk is not to have one! Actually I do have a spot where my keyboard is, but no longer a spot for 'stuff' meaning I generally have to put it really away. I store the 'notions' in the linen closet, and paper in a bookcase, and files in a file cabnet. Bills go in my 'big black book'. No more desk mess, I just have to clean out my book, course it holds less so I do it more often.

[Fern]

Throw it (an indiviudal piece of paper) out if:

* you haven't looked at it for 6 months
* it doesn't have sentimental value
* it's not required record-keeping for taxes

[Ima saver]

I have a nice office upstairs, but wind up doing all my bookwork in the kitchen. In my next house, I will have a built in desk with cupboards above it to shove all my bookwork in.

[flash]

Really frugal/cheap?

• egg cartons. To organize a desk drawer, open up, or cut off the lid if it won't stay open. Use the egg dividers for paperclips, rubberbands, change, etc. Use the top for holding pencils, scissors, rulers, or other long items. The new clear plastic from land of lake even better, as it gives you "3 compartments:
• empty margarine or other tubs. Great for binder clips, miscellaneous parts
• old kitchen canisters. They don't have to seal or be water tight to hold pens, pencils, stored cables or periphereals...
• cardboard boxes from CD sets, usually about an inch deep, 12 long
• go to Costco or other bulk store that packs your groceries in boxes. They usually have One-a-Day or other vitamin boxes, 2 inch deep but wide enough to hold papers, etc.
• if you don't have an old coffee cup, weight down a disposable cup (grande latte size?) with rocks or weights.
• Get the free priority post boxes, fold down the top to make file folder holders.
• A box from copy paper (holds all those reams, 12"x18" maybe) is the perfect size to hold file folder hangers. Hang the files from the edges, put in your files, and drop the lid on to cover or transport. Usually has cut out handles already made, too!
  

Anything can be covered with wallpaper borders or pieces from sample books, available FREE from paint stores or the factories. Extra contact paper, etc., works well.

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by Fern

Throw it (an indiviudal piece of paper) out if:

* you haven't looked at it for 6 months
* it doesn't have sentimental value
* it's not required record-keeping for taxes

Now that I need to work on! I have bills form years ago!

[StressLess]

Like Cercis says, have a box to keep papers corralled in before you file them. I like to use dish pans! One for this purpose, and one to hold things to be shredded. Also it's good to have something separate to keep papers in that require action, so they don't get buried.

Those paper-covered photo boxes are nice looking and not very expensive when they're on sale. I keep office supplies in some, on bookshelves. (But old shoeboxes would work just as well.) I also use one to keep receipts and bills in temporarily. Just until the corresponding bill comes in. That way if there's a problem on a cc statement, or a new utility bill doesn't look right, I can look through that one box and figure out the problem.

I do have a file cabinet, but it's for stuff I don't refer to often. I guess I'm more of a piler and a dumper, but it works for me.

This isn't especially frugal, but it was a big help to me. There are plastic tabletop drawer units you can buy for about $7 each, 3 drawers each. The drawers are the perfect size for storing 8-1/2 x 11 paper. I have two on my makeshift desk, where I store printer paper, lined paper, postage stamps and labels, and greeting cards. The maker is Sterilite and I found mine at Target. Before I got these, my paper would get all bent and dog-eared, and not be good to go in the printer anymore. I don't know how I'd keep my office area organized without them.

[acezz4e_tish]

kids at school made my pencil cups. they ask for cans alot. and they use them to make stuff like this. i still use nathaniels its two years young now, but it also makes him feel gr8 to see it sitting on my desk.

[PrincessPerky]

ebills! I just got my electric bill switched to an ebill, and I am starting to email my other bills to see if they will do the same. even if they don't yet, I figure an email request will help them decide to do it. so email away if you woiuld like it.

[acezz4e_tish]

our cable and phone company do that and offer 5 dollars off your bill for doing it. thats ten dollars saved, plus the gas and or mail postage saved as well.

[abowers]

I'm a big fan of ebills too. I've been doing them for a long time -- I didn't like the accumulation of bills I had, and how much space they took up in my file box.

[saxual]

I have a pretty messing desk myself. But I'm trying out mounted desk organizers from allieddeskarms.com. I will check back to let you now how they work.

[saxual]

I have a pretty messing desk myself. But I'm trying out mounted desk organizers from allieddeskarms. I will check back to let you now how they work.

[snafu]

My 1st employer had serious consequences for staff who left a messy desk at day's end so it quickly became a habit to tidy in a couple of minutes. It's so much easier and less stressful to do desk tasks when you know where your stuff is. It takes 28 days of conscious repetition to create a habit.

[Frugal_Cheap_Pants]

I was reading this post I wrote 4 years ago and laughing at how my desk is S T I L L a mess! It ends up being a catch-all when I clean, and things that don't have a home end up there. I enjoyed all the tips & ideas and have tried many of them. But I guess this is one area of my home that will stay cluttered and messy. On the bright side, it's in the back of the house where no one sees it but me .

[snafu]

How sad to read there's been no progress in 4 years; clutter still overtakes your desk. Surely it's most important that rooms serve your needs, not the public rooms kept 'nice' for guests. Is the desk used daily, weekly or monthly? Perhaps it's not functioning as anything but a flat surface for un-need piles.

If it is for paper stacks, you can action, delegate, delete or not bring excess papers into the house at all.

[jpg7n16]

If it really still bothers you...

Amazon.com: Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding (9780195300581): David F. Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee: Books

If not...

Amazon.com: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff--and it's all small stuff (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Series) (9780733800849): Richard Carlson: Books

Both are great books

[Frugal_Cheap_Pants]

Originally Posted by snafu

How sad to read there's been no progress in 4 years; clutter still overtakes your desk. Surely it's most important that rooms serve your needs, not the public rooms kept 'nice' for guests. Is the desk used daily, weekly or monthly? Perhaps it's not functioning as anything but a flat surface for un-need piles.

If it is for paper stacks, you can action, delegate, delete or not bring excess papers into the house at all.

Really, its just a space that I don't use much and given I need so many papers and such for taxes, along with kids school artwork, etc, it just stays there in a pile to be sorted every few months. I don't think of it as sad. Just annoying. As my friends tell me, I have a completely different view of what's cluttered. Apparently, they see me as very organized. So I guess it could be worse!