It's a common misconception that any amount of organization must take lots and lots of time and energy.
However, that's simply not true.
Not only can you GET organized over a series of 5 to 10-minute increments, you can also STAY organized by spending 5 minutes at different points throughout the day, quickly cleaning and organizing your workspace.
I find that by scheduling these 5-minute power-organizing blocks into my day, I get a much-needed break from staring at my computer screen, I get up and get moving, I feel more energized and refreshed, and I'm actually much more productive.
Plus, I never have huge piles of paper to file/shred, long lists of emails in my Inbox, or weekend-long organizing projects to tackle.
If you are overwhelmed with the thought of getting and keeping your office neat and organized, here are just a few ways you can GET and STAY organized in only 5 minutes!
1. File or shred as much paperwork as you can in 5 minutes
2. Delete, archive, or file as many emails as you can
3. Check your voice messages
4. Review your calendar for the rest of the day or the rest of the week to make sure you know what needs to be accomplished at what time
5. Review notes for an upcoming meeting or presentation
6. Review one of your business goals and choose the next step you need to take
7. Wipe down your desk, computer screen, phone, and any other hard surface
8. Bring dirty dishes to the kitchen
9. Throw away any trash and/or recycling
10. Conceal some of your cord clutter.
11. Respond or take action on one email in your Inbox
12. Clean out your wallet or purse
13. Schedule 10 Twitter or Facebook updates for the week
14. Write your top-5 list for today (or tomorrow)
… and the list could go on!
As you can see, there are many, MANY things you can accomplish in just 5 minutes!
I've found that it's often most effective to actually schedule several 5-minute intervals into my day so I'm continually working to get and stay more organized.
For example, I'll schedule 5-minute organizing sessions right away in the morning, before I leave for lunch, before a meeting, before I leave the office for the day, and then before I go to bed. At the end of the day, these 5-minute organizing sessions can easily add up to 20-30 minutes of organizing.
If necessary, you could even set alerts on your phone or computer to remind you to stop what you're doing and take a 5-minute organizing break.
I know it might sound overly simple, but it works… and it's a great way to squeeze in a bunch of extra organizing without sacrificing your precious weekends or other valuable working hours.