Freeing up physical space

Last week, I listed the five types of freedom you can get by getting Sorted, and the first one on the list was freeing up physical space. Now, I know that seems pretty obvious, but sometimes there's a lot to be said for not just stating the obvious, but elaborating on it. So let's talk a bit about what it means to free up some physical space in your office.

Some offices have this type of clutter: papers everywhere, spilling out of file cabinets and onto the floor.

Some offices have this type of clutter: technology crammed into every corner, a little techno-cave of activity.

Most offices have a combination of both.

In all these photos, you can clearly see that there's not much space available. But what does that mean in terms of what you're sacrificing?

1. You need space to work. I have yet to meet someone who can work completely on a screen or in their head. Just about everyone tends to make notes, sketches, etc., even as they're working electronically, and creative folks are no exception to that. Just freeing up a one-foot-by-two-feet space next to your computer can give you a dedicated spot for your notes, which can help you do much better work.

2. You need space to move around in. Unless you can teleport into your chair, you need a way to get from the door of your office to your desk. You'll also likely need a way to get from the desk to the filing cabinet, and from the desk to the printer, and to get behind the printer when something goes wrong and you need to turn it off for a while. And ideally, you need a way to do all of that without barking your shin on a file drawer.

3. You need to find stuff. In the super-techno office above, how many of those drawers do you think can actually be opened without hitting the chair, a table leg or another drawer? If you can't get at your stuff, it might as well be on another planet.

4. You need to stay alive and safe. If you have lots of paper clutter and computer-related physical clutter, I have two words for you: fire hazard. If you don't get Sorted, at least look into getting insurance.

5. You need to be able to breathe. Well, by "you" here, I mean "me." I get a little claustrophobic when I contemplate some of these spaces.

Am I the only one whose heart rate starts to race at the sight of these offices, and not in a good way? What are your thoughts on the value of freeing up physical space? Let me know in the comments!

Comments

[Liz]

Cath,

Thanks so much for posting these pics- if nothing else they make me feel better that my space is not *quite* that bad! You're so right about needing space, though. Could it be that I work at the dining table because my desk is so cluttered? Or is it because there's crap all around my chair so it's hard to get in and out of? Hmmmm...

[Joy Rogers]

Thanks Cath for writing up these quick tips for making room in your office. My weakness is the stack of mail, and junk mail, and magazines I want to read, and receipts to file that I have to work on! See you soon!

[Catherine Cantieri]

Oh, dear, Liz! Well, like you said earlier, the first step is acknowledging there's a problem. :-)

Joy, I'll be writing about green organizing next month, and I'll include tips for what to do with those magazines once you're done with them (or maybe once you realize that you might never get around to reading them).