Jeffrey C. Long

I laughed a few months ago when I realized how many gadgets are on my desk. Currently there are 10. Laptop, cable modem, iPod charging, Pocket PC charging, remote phone, DVD burner, printer, answering machine, stereo and label-maker. And that doesn’t count my inbox, spool of blank CD’s, candles and stapler. Here’s how I make sense of it all.First, I had to corral all of my cables. Cords going to the stereo, DVD player, printer, and cable modem were constantly a sloppy mess. The solution was simple twist ties, which of course I didn’t have. So I improvised by straightening some paperclips and then using them as twist-ties.Second: keep a pile of 3X5 cards handy.I also have stickies, but I find I reach for the 3X5 cards more often. Without these, notes wind up going on scraps of papers that make no sense whatsoever. If I need to remember something or have an idea I want to jot down, it goes on a 3X5 card. Then it gets tossed into my inbox to be processed later. This constantly saves my bacon when it comes to desk real-estate.Third, do a desk sweep regularly. Regularly may mean daily for some of you, or weekly, or every few days. I do it about once a week, give or take. My goal is to do it at least as often as a weekly review, but I don’t have that habit established. But just take about 15 minutes and process everything on your desk. Put books back on the shelf. File papers. Throw away phone messages.Finally, periodic dusting. For those of you who know me this probably comes as a big surprise. But there is something about putting a final bit of polish on something that makes it more appealing to be around. David Allen makes this point when he recommends using a labeler on your file folders. For one thing, it’s fun to make labels. But it makes using your folders more attractive, and thus you are more likely to use them to corral your stuff. Same with dusting. I’m more likely to keep my desk under some control when it is polished.This post is licensed under the Creative Commons license.