Desk #1
Topsy-turvy and turbulent
The top of your desk is piled high with magazines, unopened mail and bills. If someone wants you to see something, they leave it on your chair. Eventually you’ll feel it when you sit down.
Your desk screams: You’re a creative person but you seem a bit scattered, unreliable and easily distracted.
Desk makeover: The goal isn’t to be a perfectionist or a neat freak. Instead, create some order. Use desktop file holders for the files you’re working on now, put stacking bins on the floor to hold materials for certain projects, hang bulletin boards and wall pockets to help you get and stay organized. Get in the habit of clearing out your office every few weeks.

Desk #2
Slick and sparse
Your desk screams: Only the bare essentials, thank you. Your computer, printer and handheld are on your desk while everything else is tucked away.
Desk makeover: Add a picture of your family, pet, or friends to the wall or add colorful artwork. A plant wouldn’t hurt either…just remember to water it.

Desk #3
Stacked and stodgy
Your desk screams: You have trouble making decisions, especially when it has to do with papers. Magazines you want to read are stacked neatly in one corner, while in another corner are papers you need to file and supplies that need a home.
Desk makeover: Add a bookcase near your desk to hold magazines stored in magazine holders or get rid of magazines altogether and subscribe to the online versions. Make decisions about paper by using the P-A-P-E-R system: Put papers in a file, Act on them, Place them in a stacking bin, Enter any action you need to take on your To Do list and toss (or file) the papers, or Recycle them. Keep extra supplies in your bookcase, stored in colorful baskets or containers.

Do you know what your desk is saying about you?

Organizing gurus who try to make you feel bad for not having a perfectly organized home office need to back off.  Organization is a personal thing.  No two people organize their home office the same way. So if you’re frustrated that you can’t keep your home office organized, stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault. Maybe you’re fighting your natural working style.

In this Working Naked video, figure out which working style describes you and find out how you can keep your office organized.

When you’ve finished watching the video, let me know below which working style you fit into. I’d love to know.

Don't believe anything you hear and only believe half of what you see.

I credit my older sister for putting me over the organizing edge. When we were younger and shared a room, her side was a pit and mine was obsessively neat (but I’ve mellowed a bit).

Even though my sister’s still disorganized—she’s fine with it—she knows it’s possible for anyone to get organized. But some people are stubborn and refuse to get organized because they believe some misconceptions about organization. I want to set the record straight.

• MISCONCEPTION #1—Handle paper once. This is not only impossible, it’s unrealistic. Whenever I hear an organizing expert tell others to handle paper once, I cringe. Instead of pressuring yourself to handle paper once, get in the habit of doing something to move each piece forward. The point is to keep the paper in play until it lands in a file or the recycle bin. It’s a waste of time to pick up the same piece of paper and put it back repeatedly.

• MISCONCEPTION #2—Always keep papers stored out of sight. Some people work better when their desk is clear, while others swear they can’t work unless they’re surrounded by stacks of paper. A company I consulted with made their administrative assistants clear off their desks at the end of the day. In the morning, everyone wasted around 20 minutes setting up their desks. You don’t have to keep your desk clear. Instead set up systems so you can find the papers you need when you need them.

• MISCONCEPTION #3—Everyone should be organized to the same degree. Different people work differently (see my blog post on working styles). Just because a neighbor or friend works a certain way in his or her home office, you don’t have to work the same way. Find the level of organization that works for you.

• MISCONCEPTION #4—One planning system should fit everyone’s needs. Years ago companies hired me to “fix” the associates who became even more disorganized and confused after attending a two-day time management seminar (an oxymoron, don’t you think?). The company giving the seminar sold one type of planning system and expected everyone to use it. Keep in mind that planning systems (both paper-based and electronic) are designed by a few people, for everyone to use. Pick the system that fits your working style.

Everyone works and organizes differently.

Bouncing Ball — bounces from project to project, without completing any of them. They want to accomplish everything, yet have trouble focusing on one thing at a time. (I know because I tend to be a Bouncing Ball at times.) Use some type of to-do list (paper-based or electronic) to keep you on track and focused.

Nit Picky (or perfectionist) — appears organized on the surface, yet their quest for perfection keeps them from being organized. One of the ways to avoid being a Nit Picky is to have realistic standards and attainable goals, and know that you can’t do everything perfectly.

Teeter Totter — has trouble making decisions because they fear that any decision they make may be the wrong one. When making decisions, build in contingency plans. When you start a project, make decisions and follow through. If things aren’t going as planned, change direction and then move forward.

Ima Mess — keeps things “just in case” or because they “may need it someday.” The problem is that when they need it, they can’t find it. If you’re keeping something that isn’t serving a specific purpose, recycle it or donate it. Weed through your files and get rid of anything that you know you’ll never refer to again. Add drawer dividers within drawers you use often, to make it easy to see and find what you need.

Lookout — follows the out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy and fears putting anything away. Files are piled on the desk, office supplies are stored on open shelves and magazines are stacked on the floor as a reminder to read them. Keep things in sight but still organized by using desktop file holders, colorful document boxes to hold supplies on shelves, and stacking bins or baskets to hold magazines.

Could you share an office with your spouse?

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t work with your spouse – and I know many people who do so successfully. However, they say that their ability to work together in business is directly related to their separate home offices.

Consider these questions before you share a home office with your spouse.

• Do you have compatible work styles? Your spouse may like a messy desk while you like having a clear space to work. Use separate desks to solve or avoid that problem.

• Are your internal clocks synchronized? If you’re a morning person and your spouse likes to stay up late, you may run into problems – including being kept awake by a noisy printer or phone calls. Invest in earplugs, add a door to close off your office (if possible), or convince your spouse to print in the morning.

• Does your home office have to be quiet for you to be productive – while your spouse needs background noise to work? Get him or her a set of headphones. While he or she is enjoying music, you can enjoy a quiet office.

Sharing a home office with my spouse didn’t work for me, but everyone’s different. And what happens in the bedroom doesn’t necessarily dictate what happens in the boardroom – even if both rooms are in the same house.