Let’s organize our desks for the New Year (and use these gorgeous photos as inspiration)

Why not enter the New Year with a clean slate, or at least a clean desk? Because the ‘big’ things in life might be a bit more difficult to clean up – like your administration, the content of your wardrobe, or worse: emotional baggage – let’s start small. By cleaning up your workspace, whether that’s at home or in an office, and making it a space that you feel excited to be again. A little room or desk that feels like you again and that inspires you to sit down and do whatever it is you want to get out of your head.

Clean desk, clear head!
Many resolutions are flawed from the start, but the resolution to keep your desk neat and orderly seems to be a challenge worth taking on. You might be looking at your desk right now and realize it’s far from organized, but with two more weeks to go before the year ends, it’s totally doable.

Store away the past, stall out the future
What mainly makes it worth it is this: you’ve probably already made a few (exciting) plans for 2015. Whether it’s a collaboration you’ll be working on, a launch for your new website or the project of your dreams that you’ll finally pitch to your boss; all of these challenges won’t take place in the next two weeks but some time after that. So gather all the documents for your upcoming projects and file them in one place. You’ll be ready to break ‘em in as soon as 2015 hits. While you’re at it, file away important documents that you’ll no longer need next year too.

Organize the paperwork
Paperwork is one of those most dreaded things on the work planet. (I don’t know how you feel, but I get a mild panic attack every time I even look at a bank paper or a pile of receipts). You probably know the feeling that every piece of paper that is floating around your workspace seems to be too important to throw away. Now take a second look. What will you, realistically, ever use again? Is that old note on a post-it really of utter importance? Go through every last bit of paper and place it all on one of three piles: 1) papers that you can throw away, 2) papers that you probably won’t need in a while but that you can’t get rid of and 3) important papers you should always have on hand. Once you’re done with that, store the piles in order of importance.

Keep, toss out or re-use
Same goes for those beloved magazines. As much as you love them, you probably can’t keep them all. Sort out which ones you use for inspiration and which ones are just lying there, so you’ll know what to throw out. Either store the magazines you want to keep in a pretty box, cut out the most inspiring articles and shoots so you can always turn to those later or use your magazines to make a small stool if you feel like getting crafty (how cute is that?).

Visualize your work
A perfect way to store little pieces of paper, post-its and small envelopes is by clipping them to a rack (Yara did the same in an article for Dutch warehouse HEMA). Use little bulldogs clips that are both handy and pretty. You can also visualize inspiration by putting up magazine clippings or attach a few motivational quotes to get you through the day.

Room for storage
Now all that’s left are those teeny tiny, little items that take up your entire desk, but don’t really have a storage place. Yet. Notebooks, post-its, pens, staples… Put all of them in small storage boxes, like this stunning one from Hay. If not to get more organized, then at least for the looks of it. You can also gather all your receipts in these boxes, like we do at the office.

These are just a few quick steps, and the result will be rewarding. Still not convinced? Then just do it because a cleared up workspace looks so, so good and it will make you happy every time you see it. These photos above are the pretty, Pin-perfect proof.

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