Tackle it Tuesday

So I'm 4 for 4 since keeping track of the Tackle it Tuesdays. Score! Honestly, hosting this blog has really kept me on track, hopefully if you are following it has gotten you moving as well! If you have fallen off this short lived band wagon, get back on! Are you finding it hard to make time? Here are a couple tips to get things done!

1. Try cleaning or organizing on commercials while watching TV
2. When you get home from work- don't sit down. Don't start dinner. Spend 20 minutes working on your task. No one will starve by waiting the extra few minutes, and even if you don't finish, you will have motivation to finish it later. No one likes to leave a task half done!
3. If you are a morning person, set your alarm 30 minutes earlier and tackle that task in the morning! My goal is always to be downstairs 20 minutes prior to leaving for work. That gives me enough time to empty the dishwasher if I ran it overnight make coffee, eat breakfast, and put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

So on to the tackling. This week, I wanted to tackle my desk. It is by far nothing spectacular, its just functional. We are in the process of deciding on new furniture...but we haven't come to an agreement yet. Regardless, it's a place to hold my bills and other paper necessities.

I had accumulated a decent amount of papers in my "to file" folder and I had a whole stack of coupons that needed organizing, and then just some random magazines and such that needed to be put away.

Before:


After:


So my few tips for organizing your desk:
1. Get a file cabinet. Unless you live in a paper free house, these are invaluable and will keep your desk paper clutter free. We keep all our bills and important paperwork in individual files. It makes it easy to file away papers, and I go through them a couple times a year to shred or recycle old papers that aren't necessary anymore.
2. Get a graduated paper holder (like the one on the left of my desk). I keep quick access items in there. The green envelope holds coupons, I keep paper in there for quick to do or grocery lists, and then the front slot holds bills that need to be paid.
3. If you have magazine subscriptions, purchase some inexpensive holders. The ones on the bottom shelf were 2 for $5 at Ikea. I keep one year back on my subscriptions. If there were really interesting articles, I will pull them out and put them in a binder. Otherwise, they get recycled.

So have you tackled anything today? Feel free to brag...er...post about it in the comments!