Q: “Denise, I am working on organizing my office next week. Do you have any fun organizational tips?”

A: I do! I love organization. Here is how I would tackle it:

1. Remove everything that isn’t in the right place. That is right. Take it out in the hall, into another room or somewhere where you can spread things out and make piles.

2. Remove everything you no longer need. Purging is an important step! Get a garbage can, a recycling container, and a box to put things that need to be shredded.

3. Now categorize. This way you can easily see what kind of “homes” you need to make for the different types of items. For example, you might have a bunch of old buyer or seller files. Those should go together and they need to now be assigned a home in the office (or perhaps in storage somewhere). If you have a lot of ideas clipped out of magazines or printed from sources online, maybe you need to have an idea box or a basket that sits on your shelf, easily accessible to put in new ideas or search through your current inspiration.

4. Do a space assessment. Before putting things back, think about how you use your space. Is the file cabinet working for you or do you need something bigger? When you come in your office, do you have a space to dump things and then organize? If you work between a home office and brokerage office, do you have what you need in each space? Do you need a white board for keeping track of potential clients and to-do items? Is the décor inspirational? How is your shelving working for you? By scrutinizing your space and considering your wishlist of things you always wished you had, you can easily modify your office and have it be the functional, inspirational space you need to be an efficient machine!

Don’t be afraid to think about what is and what is not working and make adjustments!