Organizing the desk ... continued

I am still doing my best to participate in OrgJunkie's 52 weeks of organizing challenge ... so far I am pretty happy with my progress. I haven't done as much as I would have liked, but I at least don't feel like I am backsliding too much!.

This week I took time to do something that few of us who make things to sell does anymore. I made something for MYSELF! Actually, that isn't the whole truth ... I already had a wall pocket for myself, but it had not been modified to hang on the wall since we got the new cabinets, and it had never been covered in fabric!

So - Here it is! All finished and covered in fabric ... and hung on the wall!

I am also still really diggin the containers under the cabinets!

I will be keeping all of the paperwork that I use on a daily basis here. Things that I always need handy so I don't have to dig in a file drawer for them.

I do need to make folders, but here is a list of the folders I will be making:

Outstanding Orders
Urgent

That's it! All other paperwork and files can be put somewhere else hidden away from daily view!

And yes, maybe I will be able to find those invoices that I have printed and not have to print new ones when the order is ready to be mailed!

If you want to participate in the challenge - head on over to Orgjunkie's website!

Organizing - Up and outa there!

So, since I missed a few weeks of organizing projects there ... I thought I should do a couple extra this week!

You may remember reading about my epiphany that I had on Monday - that my desk was always a mess because I was setting myself up for it to be that way ... So, I am doing something about that!

This is actually a picture of the Cleaned up desk ... but you might notice that overflowing basket of stuff I need to sort. Not the nicest thing to look at!

So, I found it a new home INSIDE the cabinet! I actually had another storage thingy in here before, but since I only use it a few times a year, I decided that it could live somewhere else!

Now my storage for important things and things I need to sort is right next to me when I am sitting at the desk.

I'll have to make sorting it a project for next week!


















Also earlier this week I came up with this fabulous idea to put magnets underneath my cabinets, and store some of the items I have for sale there until they sold!

However, I liked the idea so much ... and decided that I could use those containers for organizing ... I decided to just take some out and keep them for myself! So, now I have this whole little section where all of the different size buttons and grommets I need are labeled and in easy reach!

I think it looks pretty neat too!


Now I just need to get all of these photographed and listed for sale! I am going to see if I can round out the sets though and make them all sets of three! I think I will even include a magnet in case someone wants to put them under their cabinets too!

An organized desk ... and what I WANT it to look like!

So ... I have this fantastic new desk space! We actually installed these cabinets and countertops right before Christmas ... and yes - what an excellent Christmas present it is!!



The only problem ... the counters RARELY look like this picture!

However, it dawned on me this morning - that the reason that it doesn't look like this more often is because I am setting myself up for it to NOT look like this!

Normally I have some project out on the counter that stays there for days, but I also want to be able to cut fabric in that exact same spot. Also, there is usually papers out on the printer ... but they are there because I haven't created another place for them to live! Also ... let's talk about pens, scissors, and rulers! I usually have a huge container that is full to the brim with pens, scissors, and rulers out on the counter ... but I also have pens, rulers and scissors in the drawer right next to me ...

So ... this week I am going to be working on making new homes for these things - or clearing out space so that these things have a place to live! The way this space looks right now makes me HAPPY! I completely understand that it won't look like this while I am working on something, but it CAN look like this MOST of the time!

So ... onward and upward - start out with the space that you WANT and then make the things that you need fit into that vision ... if it doesn't fit ... then evaluate if you really need it!

ACK! I only have 10 minutes for organizing! Tackling the Junk Drawer

ACK! I am running really low on time lately ... unfortunately my blog shows this all too well! My shop has been hopping, which is FANTASTIC, but it has left little time to stay on my 52 weeks of organizing goal!

So ... today I decided to set aside 10 minutes for organizing!

What in the world can you get organized in 10 minutes? Well, it took me a few minutes to figure that out too ... so then I only had 8 minutes!

1st thought - The kitchen junk drawer! We all have one ... a drawer where you put all of that stuff that you don't know where to put it!

Here it is before:

I am embarrassed to say that the drawer would not even open when I first pulled on it. So, obviously this was needed!

So ... Operation - take everything out and put it on the counter for sorting ... Not Pretty!!

I actually found that most of the stuff in here already had another home to live in!

(Probably doesn't surprise all of you professional organizers!!)

So, tools went to the tool box, office supplies to the desk, medical stuff to the medical box, and so on ....





I did decide to leave pens, pencils, and note pads in the drawer even though they could be thought of as office supplies, but this is really close to the phone where I need to jot down a quick note ... and I don't want those living on the counter!

Finished! Still had a minute to spare!

And the drawer opens now!!