Behind The Curtain: An Organizer's Desk

Ariane Benefit and I were chatting about posting pics of our desks, and Ariane blogged about it last week, so here's my desk. For those of you wondering, it's certainly not perfect. I'm not about perfection. Just for fun, let's take a desk tour so you'll know what all that stuff is...

From the top (with feeling!) I have an inkjet printer on the top left side of my hutch. Everything to the right of that is photos of friends and Christmas Boy. Hanging on the wall to the right of the desk are three framed photos. The top one (you can't really see it) is a black and white shot of the sun setting over the Susquehanna River that I took when I was about 15. The middle one is black and white close-up shot of outfielder Lenny Dykstra taking batting practice. I took this one during Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training in 1991. (In March of that year, I traveled to Florida with accomplished Philadelphia sportscaster Howard Eskin, who was kind enough to get me a press pass, which put me on the field to get shots like this one)  That Florida trip was a key element in my life, because it was there, on my last night in town that I met one of my dearest friends in the world. But I digress... the bottom photo is a color shot of Peter Gabriel from the SO tour. I didn't take that one, but I so wish I had.

Just below the printer, you can see some storage cubbies. The large one on the left holds binders that I access frequently, as well as software discs and manuals. Above and to the right are three smaller cubbies. I use these to display more photos, as well as the only two Beanie Babies I own, Chip and Fetch.

Moving on to the desktop... At the back left is a black file sorter that holds folders that I access frequently. In front of that, you can see my headset phone base and two small piles of paper.  One pile is called "GET TO IT!" and the other is called "UNIVERSAL WEALTH EXCHANGE!"

The GE T TO IT pile is just stuff I need to take care of and it works in conjunction with my task list. The UNIVERSAL WEALTH EXCHANGE pile is the one you might call "bills to pay" but I prefer not to use those words. Universal Wealth Exchange reminds me that money circulates, and I believe what I send out into the universe, I get back five-fold. It makes paying bills a whole different experience for me.

In the center of my desk is a full-size curved keyboard and optical trackball mouse that I use when I work at home. Lemme tell you, I can type for days on end without any discomfort because of the curved keyboard and that awesome mouse! Behind the keyboard, a Fellowes Premium Monitor Riser holds my laptop (and gives me a space to hide my keyboard when I need more desk space). Also on the riser  you'll see two tall black computer speakers.

At the back right corner of the desktop are two stacking trays. The top one holds receipts that I need to enter into my Quickbooks software. The bottom one used to have a purpose, but no longer does, so it stays empty. In front of the stacking trays, I have a carousel that holds pens, pencils, scissors,  a ruler, tape, address labels and such. At the front corner, I have my phone log and a container of index cards where I keep notes about clients and prospects. 

So that's my Zone One. Everything I use frequently is at my fingertips, just like I wrote about in my book and because I'm primarily visual, I don't mind that I can see it all. I prefer it that way.  Oh, and occasionally, I have another desk accessory in Zone One... isn't she cute?

Colleague Jeri Dansky also showed her desk on her blog and Jessica Duquette promises to show hers "soon". (Come on Jessica, fork it over sister!) So dear reader, what does your Zone One look like?

Comments

[Jeri Dansky]

Monica,

Thanks for sharing! These pictures should dispel the erroneous idea some folks have that "organized" equals "sterile."

And your "occasional desk accessory" is a real cutie, indeed!

Jeri

[Ariane Benefit, Neat Living]

Monica this is great!

Thanks so much for sharing not only your desk but your strategy for using it.

I LOVE your Universal Wealth Exchange idea!!! Whenever we buy things that are not on sale, like from our local gaming store, we always say that we are contributing to our community and to people being able to make a living in the world. Every purchase cannot just be about price. And every bill paid keeps people employed. And life is so much less stressful when you just buy what you need and don't research for the lowest price on everything. Oddly enough we save money that way. Because often the researching leads to other impulse purchases!

I use the "natural" curved keyboard too. I've been using them over 12 years ever since I had carpal tunnel trouble. Without this keyboard, I wouldn't be able to use the computer at all!

Your furry desk accessory is adorable! My office wouldn't be the same without my furbabies. Each of my 3 cats has a "home" in my office. But by mutual consent, Alex is the one that gets the desk. : )

[Janet Barclay]

Thanks for sharing, Monica! You've inspired me to do the same.

[Jessica Duquette]

ok, Ms. Smartie Pants, I (finally) did it because of you!

;-)

warmly,

Jessica from It's Not About Your Stuff

http://www.its-not-about-your-stuff.com/2007/04/ok_ok_i_throw_m.html