by Elizabeth Wordsmith

Created on: March 30, 2008   Last Updated: May 27, 2008

Today you cannot think about organizing your office without organizing your computer. One activity to remember during your spring cleaning is to delete any unnecessary files from your computer or information which might be slowing it down.

Also, reorganize your computer files so information you need will be at your finger tips.

Writers need a place free of distractions and anxieties which might hinder the creative process. So the office needs to be free of clutter and have everything in its place.

GO THROUGH YOUR PAPER FILES

Go through paper files and purge unnecessary receipts and papers. Get the shredder out and be determined to reduce your paper cache by half if possible.

Get yourself a good metal file cabinet with a lock, if you don't already have one. It should be large enough so that you don't have to struggle to put your file folders back after using.

Use a label maker and make attractive and legible labels for each folder.

Think of a color coding system for your personal files as opposed to your work files.

Use one drawer of the file cabinet for information you gather about an article subject or inspirational items for a creative writing piece. Make a folder for each article subject.

Have a hanging file holder with at least three slots so you can quickly access current projects.

ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKS

Take stock of your bookcases and resource materials. Organize your books by subject matter. Have one shelf for a thesaurus, a writing guide, a dictionary, an Atlas, and other such resource materials. Another section could be travel books. Another could be cooks books, and so forth.

HANG A GREAT BULLETIN/CHALK OR DRY ERASE BOARD

Have a really large bulletin board and dry erase board where you can list projects you are working on, sketch out plot lines, put up lists of books you want to pick up, and so forth.

DON'T FORGET YOUR CREATURE COMFORTS

Make yourself a little kitchenette area where you can make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, grab a cold soda, and make a sandwich.

Besides having a desk area with good lighting and a comfortable chair, have a comfortable chair for leisure reading, also.

DECLUTTER THE ROOM

Remove items from the room that are non-office items. Get the ironing board and treadmill out of the way. Get juniors toys out of the way. If you can't remove them from the room, designate an out-of-the-way corner for them and put up a floor screen or some kind of curtain to disguise this stuff.

CLEAN AND DECORATE

Finally, besides organizing, clean and decorate. You can add color to the room with a pretty wastebasket, colorful desk accessories and file folders, a fun mouse pad, and a pretty bulletin board. Clean your computer screen and keyboard. Dust and vacuum the entire room and clean the windows. Having an attractive office will improve the quality of your writing.

MAKE SOME NEW HABITS

Plan this year to scan papers and put them in computer files instead of letting them take up room in your space. And make a resolution to tend to papers daily and deal with them as you see them. Doing that will prevent that anxious feeling of knowing there is something you must do but you just cannot remember what at the moment.

YOU DESERVE IT

Writers spend a lot of time in one place and in one room. It should be a place that makes you feel good, a refuge and a place of inspiration.

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