In the organizing world, March has been tagged as Organize your Office month and today is National Organize Your Office Day.  This day focuses on organizing one of the most stressful areas in a home or business: the office. 

What is your office like today – is it a jumbled mess that seems to grow exponentially while you sleep? Have you not even tried to tackle organizing it because you have found too many stumbling blocks preventing you from even getting started?  Be assured, you are not the only one experiencing this problem.Today, on this national day of recognition, let’s explore some of the stumbling blocks that are holding you back and banish them forever. 

I find the four most common blocks are: indecision about taking action, not having enough time, uncertainty about where to start and not knowing how to start.  Have you experienced any of these stumbling blocks?  The only way to overcome them is to work through each one, one block at a time.  Here’s what you can do.

DECIDE TO TAKE ACTION: Concentrate on the benefits

The hardest step to take is deciding to take action; living in indecision can be quite paralyzing.  This is what I remind people who are stuck at this stumbling block:  your indecision is costing you valuable time, energy, money and creating high stress levels.  Is that how you want to live your life?  Concentrate on the benefits you will receive with an organized office and you will be able move past the stumbling block as soon as you decide to take action.

DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME: Block out smaller chunks of time

You don’t need large blocks of time, but you DO have to commit to SOME blocks of time.  If you truly wish to move away from a disorganized space, commit to working on the project by blocking off time on your calendar.  You can block off 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes three times a week, a few hours once a week or a full day over the weekend. Make a commitment to improve your space using calendared blocks of time.

DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START: Break the project into small chunks

If this is a stumbling block for you, I recommend that you sit at a central point of the room (usually the desk) and look around.  Think about what areas cause the most inefficiency in your day (or what bothers you the most) and make a list of 4 areas that need work (prioritize them from worst to least).  This will break the BIG task down into smaller chunks, making it feel more manageable and will give you a focal point to get started.

DON’T KNOW HOW TO START: Follow our lead

You’ve already started by reading this blog post and our 3 week series on Organizing Your Office will guide you the rest of the way.  During the month of March, you will learn how to:

• Clear out the Clutter (from your desk)
• Set up a Paper Processing System
• Choose a Desk that Meshes with Your Personal Working Style

So I challenge you:  Decide to take action today by remembering the benefits of organizing, make a commitment by blocking out time on your calendar and break the project into smaller chunks with a priority list.  Once you begin using these tools, you will quickly overcome your stumbling blocks, clear the way to an organized office and within a few, short weeks bring efficiency and productivity into your world.  

What will be the stumbling block YOU overcome today?  Leave us a reply and share your discovery with our readers.