As many of us scrambled to create a soothing work from home environment this week, we are all probably learning a little bit about what works and what doesn’t in terms of being our most productive selves. Because in reality, overnight we became full-time employees, full-time teachers, full-time parents, and many other roles AT THE SAME TIME.

We are living through some intense times as of late. So if you are anything like me, and need a cleared-off desk to get any work accomplished, let’s chat about some ways to keep things organized.

But first things first, make a cup of tea and light a candle. It’s amazing what little things can do to create a sense of normalcy…even for a moment or two.

• GET RID OF THE CORDS: Use a mixture of these Command Cord Bundlers and Command picture hanging strips (or velcro strips) to disguise all of your cords. Consider using the strips to attach your power strip to the side of your desk (or even underneath). Then the cord bundlers come into play to keep that tangled mess off the floor. Nothing screams “organized office” like having a cord-free environment.

• GO DIGITAL: One of the key ways to organize virtually any space is to eliminate clutter. In your home office, remove as much paper as possible by signing up for online bill pay, switching to a virtual subscription for magazines and newsletters, utilizing an online password manager, like Dashlane, and removing your name from all that unsolicited junk mail by registering at https://dmachoice.thedma.org/register.php ($2 will remove you from junk mail lists for 10 years). When you’ve achieved organized bliss with your paperwork, check out unroll.me to declutter your email inbox (and gosh, isn’t this the week you’ve realized how many random email lists you are still subscribed to?).

• KEEP ONE NOTEBOOK/PLANNER: Some of my clients function best when they can SEE everything in front of them, while others need to have things tucked away in order to be productive in a space (as mentioned above, I’m in the latter camp here). Regardless of how you operate best, try to keep one notebook or planner on hand instead of putting sticky notes all over the place or writing in several notebooks. One of the best ways to make this change is to only keep one notebook accessible and tuck all others away until you are in need of a new one. If you’ve gone digital, and are looking for a way to organize all of those lists, check out the Cozi App. I’m calling it a tiny miracle, but I’ve even gotten my husband on-board.

• SCHEDULE TIME TO CLEAR THE CLUTTER: Have a dedicated space on your desk for items that need attention. If a task takes less then 3 minutes, my rule of thumb is to just take care of it (paying a bill, rsvping for an event, or scheduling an appointment). But for those to-dos that need more attention, have a place on your desk (whether that is a box that keeps things out of view or a paper tray to keep things in view) AND a calendar appointment scheduled once or twice a week to tackle the pile. Annually, take time to shred items that have been filed that you no longer need.

• FIND AN INSPIRATIONAL COLOR PALETTE: There is a huge variety of office supplies out there, so figure out a palette that inspires you to get to work. Maybe that is clear acrylic, pastels or metallics. Choose a theme and limit the amount of supplies on your desk. My ideal desk space has a pretty jar or vase filled with my favorite pens, my laptop, a parking spot for items needing attention and of course, a stash of greeting cards so I can grab and go throughout the year!

Figure out what you need in your work space to be most productive and then get after it! Once a system is in place, the biggest hurdle is maintaining it, but if you dedicate a little time each day, it will soon become a habit. And heck, all we have is time right now. Hang in there, friends.

The Baer Minimalist helps busy families create ORGANIZED + STYLIZED spaces throughout Indianapolis.

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