Computer deskI don’t know about you all, but I’m pretty busy. Between work (and travel for work) and family and fun, there’s a lot going on. But I find that having some kind of system makes it quick and simple to take care of bills and investments, have access to receipts and records, and see where I am financially. This week, at the risk of exposing myself to great peals of laughter (mostly from my boyfriend), I’m going to share some of the elements of my system. Feel free to steal the elements you like”or point out improvements I could make!

First things first: I have to know what’s going and what’s coming, otherwise I lose the plot. If I allow scraps of paper and mail to wander the house, I will lose track of them and potentially be late with a bill. So I literally have an Inbox and an Outbox (stacked vertically to save space). Unopened mail, items from Kate’s school, articles I need to read, greeting cards I need to send, etc. sit in the Inbox until I deal with them. I used to keep magazines and catalogues I wanted to read in the Inbox, but I found that was too bulky. So they now have their own Magazine Basket on the floor near the desk.

Things that are dealt with, but still need to be filed, go in the Outbox. My boyfriend Rob likes to shred his bills after he pays them, but me? No way. I write the check number on the bill stub, the date paid, the amount, and even my initials. What if I ever need to prove I paid it? I let the Outbox stack up and only file the contents a few times a year, but that’s ok because sometimes I need to refer to stuff in there while sitting at my desk.

Things that need to be mailed go on the corner of my desk, in the Keys Basket which not surprisingly also contains car keys, along with commuter rail tickets and chapstick, so everything I need as I leave the house is in one place. The things that I have no reason to keep after I deal with them go in the Trash.

All of that is on or below the right side of my desk, because they are things coming or going. The left side of my desk is for things I need to use while at my desk.

On the left is the Checkbook Drawer, for my checkbook, stamps and sticky return address labels that I can just peel and stick on envelopes. In the Supplies Drawer are 3×5 index cards, Post-It notes, highlighter pens, paperclips, etc. In the Pen Cup go the pens, scissors and letter opener. Sitting on top of the two drawers are bulkier items: stapler, staple remover, tape dispenser, and Spare Change Tin. (I know technically the spare change tin contains items that might leave the house, and so should really go on the right side of the desk, but there’s more room on the left).

OK, we’re nearly done. To the far left of my desk, on their own little shelf, are a few last items: two boxes of blank envelopes (large and small); a shoebox for receipts of significant items I might need to return (clothing, electronics), a shoebox for warranties and manuals, a shoebox for pictures I haven’t yet put into a photo album, and finally a little marble box where I keep foreign currency and foreign stamps, so that on my next trip to China or wherever I have a little money in my pocket and don’t have to panic at the airport.

So, my organization is comical, I’ll admit. It’s probably neurotic. But I’ll tell you what: when I sit down at my desk, I know where everything is. And when I’m done I have a pile of stuff to mail sitting with my keys and train tix, ready for the mad dash out the door the next day.

I will tell you I’ve seen far, far worse. I ran in to my old friend Markus last week as we coincidentally were both on a plane from Bangkok to Beijing. He also travels a lot for work, and keeps his entire organizational system on his laptop. He has spreadsheets that track his frequent flier status (every mile flown, and where he flew it); he scans every bill and matches it to the confirmation of his electronic transfer; every receipt for everything. I was in awe … and not about to follow suit. I do have a life you know! (But I still love you, Markus!)

Maybe it’s something about a certain type of gay man”some perverse need we have to control our environment, make it tidy. I don’t know. I’d be very interested to hear how others get organized, or don’t get organized, and why.

And I’ll be back tomorrow to share the glories of Quicken, that beautiful, beautiful program that tracks everything I could ask for.