It’s that time of year where I get the urge to purge. The desire to sort, clean and organize hits me and I’m like a tornado moving through each space and leaving it better in my wake. One of the first places I chose to attack was my office space, partly because it is relatively small in size so I knew I would be able to accomplish it in a small amount of time and partly because it is one space in our home that is entirely mine. Over the years I have created a system to help keep myself on track and moving forward when it comes to my spring cleaning.

1. Gather all of the cleaning supplies you will need and have them ready and on hand.

I believe preparation is a huge key in keeping the momentum going when you are surrounded by piles of stuff and losing steam. Having all of your supplies right there beside you, takes away any excuse of stopping and “finishing later.” Plus it’s really convenient.

2. Downsize on paper.

In this day and age everything seems to be going towards the world of electronics, but some of our bills and invoices still come in paper form. It’s time to clean out that stockpiles of paper, though many in your stash have information on them that’s necessary keep for business, or personal information that needs to stay confidential. This is where investing in the right tools, like a hand held scanner and paper shredder, comes in handy. It takes just a little time to go through each piece and archive them digitally, but it frees up so much clutter and space… and even helps during tax season!

3. Invest in key furniture pieces.

If you are like me and find yourself fighting for more storage or organizational space in a house full of people, stuff and not enough closets, one of the best ways I’ve found to acquire more space is to go vertical. By hanging open shelves or finding a book shelf that suits your style, you are making an otherwise unused portion of space useful.

4. Bins, Folders and Drawers

One of my go to forms of cleaning is organizing. Finding a place for everything honestly gives me joy. When it comes to using open shelving, which can give a fresh look and clean lines, it is necessary to invest in a few bins, folders and drawers for items you might not want on display but still want to have accessible. My desk space is rather small and doesn’t have any attached storage for pens, stationary, camera equipment, etc.  So I use vases and cleaned out candles for stylish storage and one of my favorite items is a simple little 3 drawer unit I found. It’s small enough to fit on my desk and not too tall so it works perfectly as a stand for my laptop.

5. Less is More. Let it Go.

It’s time to take a good look at all of your stuff and really be honest on whether it is necessary. Over time we tend to acquire more and more stuff, which makes our spaces feel smaller. All of the clutter can deter our productivity and has the potential to lead to frustration down the line. Being self employed and doing the work that I do, I do tend to acquire a lot of beauty items. Most of them are fun and cool and pretty, but I don’t know one person that needs 100 shades of nail polish or 3 drawers of skincare. As much as I like it, and would probably eventually use it, it is taking up priceless space that I need for other items. Not only that, it’s fun to share with friends or I know there are some places that take items as donations for people in need. This doesn’t just apply to beauty products though, it can apply to stationary items or decorative items like candles, trays, etc. Whatever you have that you don’t actually use on a daily basis and if it doesn’t bring you joy, this is the time to let it go. Find it a new home and free up your space.