Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Clean Workspace, Clean Mind

I have been absolutely bogged down with a sense of overwhelm when I look at the hub of my kitchen.  This is the space where I keep my computer, check my Facebook page, print a recipe, post my listings, and in general, manage our home.  I wear many hats and most of them require some computer time.  I hate the thought of moving this space into my craft room upstairs, as I think I would be confined to that room most of the day. 

My husband hates the fact that this has turned into my "office", but I spend so much time in the kitchen and with the family - this is really where my things NEED to be.  The problem was that it was all just too much.  One big pile with a mix of paperwork stacked in my "to do" pile.  This is my before picture~


Today I decided to break it all down, file it away, and get it organized.  I laid sticky notes out on my kitchen table labeled "Real Estate", "Rental", "Guild", "Scentsy", "Heather" & "The Girls".  Soon I had several neat piles that seemed so much more manageable to go through!








I made a trip to Staples today and bought some pretty files and a file sorter.  I used my label maker and made neat labels of all my little stacks.  This is my "Inbox". 

I can take one file at a time and take care of it.  It is no longer overwhelming!  I made a few sales calls today, organized my Scentsy business, arranged a fundraiser for my Guild, and sorted some business receipts.  What a productive day!

Here is the "After" picture!


This may not look like the computer area of the homes I show, which are completely bare and have one laptop neatly on the counter, but it's organized, manageable, and I feel so much better now that it's done!








One final tip!  I used my label maker and labeled all the plugs in my power strip.  This makes it so much easier to see what is plugged in where!

4 comments:

  1. ...and with the girls filing receipts, things go so quickly. Nothing like child labor.

    Looks great!

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  2. Impressive! Like you I like to be where the family is but the mess can become an eyesore. Good idea to label all those cords. I am eyeing an empty space in our house for a move. Having the computer around when my gals come home can be a distractor for me.
    Linda

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  3. Impressive! Like you I like to be where the family is but the mess can become an eyesore. Good idea to label all those cords. I am eyeing an empty space in our house for a move. Having the computer around when my gals come home can be a distractor for me.
    Linda @bushel and a pickle

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  4. Labeling the plugs!! What a great idea. If most of your clients understood that a house for sale isn't 'their' house anymore, you'd have far fewer arguments. No way anyone could actually 'work' with a laptop on an empty desk (except my husband, but he's odd that way), but it sure shows well for potential buyers.

    Thanks for showing us the real 'before' and the lovely 'after'.
    Connie

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