“The RoseBouquet”

They say a messy desk is a sign of a busy and productive mind, but that’s hard to explain to those who don’t have such a mind. Last week I had a growing sense that I should organize my desk - seriously. So that was my main agenda item on Saturday.

Resourcefulness is one of those things I’ve inherited from my Dad. As I was doing some of these things I realized that others might not come up with these ideas by themselves, so here’s a few tips.

1. Pack up all the old notes, and files in a box and find a place under the desk or nearby to park it, so if you need to get at these archives, you can still pull them out.

2. Tidy up inside some drawers and create space to drop work-in-progress on short notice when cleaning up for company.

3. This means it would be smart to have a container for each project. If it involves full-sized sheets, a folder or a big brown envelope will do. Find a home place that is out of sight for each one, so you can put it away or pull it out fast when you need it.

4. I scribble notes on small pieces of paper or card-stock. Some need to be weeded into the waste-paper basket from time to time, but for the ones I want to save, I cut some used large envelopes in half with a scalloping scissor (straight will do too), and I file a bunch of them in a white vegetable oil jug with a rectangular shape. (I’ve cut off the top and wrapped wallpaper around it). This keeps my notes and ideas in a semi-organized way, and when I have to clear the desk off in a hurry, I set the whole cannister/jug into a drawer.

5. Every desk needs some catch-all containers so that you can spot your pens, and markers, and paper clips quickly when your eyes dart around for them. Rather than scattering them over my desk, I cut up empty tissue boxes like this;

pull away the cellophane in the oval
cut from the middle of the long side of that oval around through the sides of the box, up to but not through the bottom

fold the box along the center of the bottom so the two halves face and touch each other.

tape the ends together so they now become the bottom of your caddy with two compartments.

Depending on the design pattern on the box, you now have a pretty caddy for your odds and ends.