Springing into Spring Cleaning and Office Organization

A home office can quickly become a mountain of paperwork and other clutter, particularly for a freelance writer. Between research, writing drafts, manuscripts, query letters and other documents, a freelance writer can soon become buried, along with his or her precious creative work space.

Make Way for Writing.

Where’s that insightful article proposal when you need it?

Piles of paperwork can prevent potential and postpone productivity for freelance writers. A dirty desk can derail a daily deadline.

Writing, particularly freelance writing, requires a clear head and a clean desk. Here a few simple ways you can make room in your own home office for more writing:

Clean Up the Cords.

Freelance writers must cope with technology, like it or not. Mangled and tangled electrical equipment cords are a recipe for writing disaster.

Organizing your home writing office should start with safety. Use rubber bands to bundle all computer, peripheral and accessory cords neatly. Rubber bands are the best, because they do not conduct electricity. Tuck these tidy bundles out of sight. If possible, hide them behind the desk, or affix them to a wall hook, hidden behind the furniture.

Power and connection cords may need to remain accessible, but they need not be visible to distract you during your writing hours.

Next, clean and realign your computer printer ink cartridges, and resupply your printers with plenty of paper.

Sort Out Your Supplies.

Freelance writers tend to collect office supplies, like a magnet collects metals. Somehow, office drawers seem to become catch-all receptacles for loose household items as well. Coins, medicines, refrigerator magnets, small toys, playing cards, bubble gum, breath mints and other assorted goods may find their way into the home writing office drawer.

To fully organize your writing office, you will need to empty out all of your desk drawers. Sort your working pens and sharpened pencils into cups or drawer-dividers. Throw away dried-out markers and pens that no longer write.

Toss all assorted and non-office-related items into three or four small boxes or baskets, so they may be carried to the appropriate spots (kitchen, garage, kids’ rooms, school, workplace and other locations).

Look Through Your Library.

Most freelance writers have ever-growing book and magazine collections.

Any home writing office organization project must include a librarian‘s touch. Put stacks of books and magazines into bookshelves. Arrange your volumes topically, alphabetically or in some other readily accessible order. When you write on deadline, you will be relieved to find your reference books, writing helps or other published tools in a handy fashion.

If you need to add more storage space in your writing office, you can install inexpensive wall shelves or purchase economical shelving units.

Economical wood folding bookcases are widely available. These tend to go on sale at the end of the summer, as college students head for the dormitories. Why not grab a few bookcases for your home writing office when you spot a bargain?

Buy a Bonus Bulletin Board.

Here’s a handy pointer for freelance writers. Install a bulletin board or corkboard over your writing desk. Place a neat calendar on it for writing deadlines, appointments, editorial queries and manuscript submissions.

Try hard to keep your home writing office bulletin board organized and uncomplicated, if possible. Family photos, witty stickers, holiday letters and other non-work items might be better placed on a shelf or on the kitchen refrigerator. Remember, when you enter your office, you are most likely there to get down to the business of writing.

Clear the Decks . . . and Your Desk.

Remove everything from your home writing office counter or desktop. Folders, papers, books, photographs, computer disks and yesterday’s mail all have to go.

Collate into Convenient Containers.

Sort carefully through all of your loose papers and files. Include computer disks, photographs, print items, mail and other miscellaneous documents. All paperwork should fit into one of these categories:

Container 1: Compose a Query

Do you have scads of clips and tidbits for new article ideas? Why not whip up a query letter for a publisher today? Place your writing notes and research in file folders, assigning one for each potential piece. (See below.)

Have you been meaning to revise and send that manuscript or article draft, based on an editor‘s favorable response to an earlier query? This is the time to do so.

Set these promising items in your Query pile, and be sure to act on them as soon as you finish organizing your writing office.

Container 2: Publish Immediately

If you have manuscripts that are ready for publication (or even outlines that are nearly ready), you can polish these pieces and publish them immediately online or in print. Publishing on sites like Associated Content or your own blog is a great way to clean out your home writing office and build your professional portfolio at the same time.

Container 3: Save

Do you have printed copies of your published work that need to go into your professional writing portfolio? Grab the rubber cement and page protectors. Move these valuable items off your desk and into your portfolio.

After all, as a professional freelance writer, you never know when an editor might request writing samples.

Container 4: File for Future Use

Concepts: Create a separate folder for each article, story or book you plan to write. When you are ready to compose a query letter, this will be extremely helpful. Even better, once an editor expresses interest, you will be ready to write.

Contacts: If you don’t keep addresses and contact information online, you will want to obtain a business card file or Rolodex. Contacts are the bedrock of a freelance writer’s business, and these must be updated often!

Cashflow: All check stubs, invoices, receipts and other financial documentation must be filed where you can find it. Stashing such items in a box or basket atop your desk is distracting and dangerous. Timely billing, accurate tax filing and audit preparation are vital for a freelance writer.

Container 4: Shred and Toss

Simplifying is the key to organizing your home writing office, particularly as a freelance writer.

Be ruthless here. If you don’t really need a piece of paperwork, then toss it in the trash. If the document or graphics file is stored on your hard drive or online, you can toss the paper copy.

If you have access to a scanner, you may be able to save images of receipts and invoices on your computer, rather than storing the actual paperwork.

Most freelance writers receive dozens of publications and periodicals each month. If we kept all of these issues, we could build room dividers in our homes with the stacks. Consider donating these publications to your local library or to a school.

Destroy your early drafts of items you have already published, outdated financial papers and other irrelevant materials. If you already have document files stored on your computer or online, you probably will not need the printed manuscripts as well.

Paper shredding is a wonderful therapy for writer’s block! Kids love shredding items as well. Maybe the loud grinding noise makes freelance writers feel powerful. Regardless, there is something inherently rewarding about running the shredder.

Clean Sweep for Creativity

Finally, dust off all desk and counter surfaces in your home writing office. Be sure to wipe down your bookshelves and clean around and under all electronic equipment.

Once your home writing office is clean and well organized, you will be ready to write.