The organization of a writer’s office, desk, and computer isn’t a challenge just for neatniks. Although there are some arguments in favor of messy desks enhancing creativity, many writers find they write better and more efficiently when they put a little extra time into cleaning up. After all, if you can spend less time trying to find your favorite pen or your notes on one of your minor characters, you’ll be able to spend more time actually writing!

Organization always comes down to personal style. One person’s slobfest is another person’s I-know-exactly-where-everything-is. Some of us need a little clutter to help us feel comfortable in our workspaces; some of us need everything squared away, so we can think better. How you organize isn’t so important as just doing it.

5 Tips to Organize Your Writing

Following are tips I’ve found useful in keeping my writing life organized and myself on track to write that next novel.

1. Organize Your Desk

Whether your desk is your bed, your kitchen table, or (wonder of wonders!) an actual desk, the important thing is putting and keeping your stuff in places that are both memorable and convenient.

Tip: Make use of space savers, such as mail racks and drawer organizers.

Tip: Big drawers are often just hidden messes, so optimize them by dividing them into smaller, more specific niches. I use metal bookends to divide my drawers into smaller subdivisions. Pens go in front, iPad/Kindle/phone cords in the middle, little-used odds and ends in the back.

Organize your writing drawer by using metal bookends as dividers.

Tip: If you use a laptop, prop it up on a kitchen cooling rack to help prevent overheating. This offers the extra benefit of more desk space. I keep my day planner, notepad, favorite pen, and chocolate bowl underneath the laptop.

If you write on a laptop, place it on a stand or even a baking rack to keep it from overheating.

Tip: Consider your pen jar: I keep one black pen, one blue pen, one red pen, one pencil, one highlighter of each color, and one pair of scissors. When I’m finished using them, they always go straight back into the jar. Extras go in the drawer until the ones in the jar need to be replaced.

2. Organize Your Library

Whether or not you separate your writing resource books from your reading library, you’ll want to keep your books in good order, so you can always find what you’re looking for.

Tip: Keep writing resource books within arm’s reach. Dictionary, thesaurus, baby (aka character) name books, and various encyclopedias are the books I keep on my desk. My main bookcase in also in the same room, so if I need to reference a novel, all I have to do is get up and take a few steps.

Organize your writing resource books so they are within easy reach when you are writing.

Tip: I admit to organizing my resource library by size, for the sake of aesthetics. But my larger library is organized alphabetically by author last name and separated into categories (fiction, writing how-to, history, etc.).

3. Organize Your Computer

In the mad rush to spring clean our houses, we can sometimes overlook the one place we actually spend the most time: the computer. If you haven’t sorted through files lately, make time to look through every nook and cranny of your computer.

Tip: Delete files you no longer need (but make sure you really don’t need them!), and organize remaining files into sensible categories.

Tip: Keep your computer as clean looking as possible by organizing files into the smallest number of folders.

Organize your writing notes on your computer by utilizing folders and subfolders.

Tip: Always take a few extra seconds to properly title all files.In the long run, you’ll save yourself lots of time and frustration by titling that latest document “Dreamlander Rewrite 12-1-11″ rather than “this one copy 15.”

4. Organize Your Browser

While you’re elbow deep in computer dust, take another minute to sort through browser bookmarks and add-ons.

Tip: Make extensive use of folders and subfolders in your bookmarks.

Organize your writing bookmarks in your browser using the same system you use for files on your computer.

Tip: Every few years, go through all bookmarks and delete links that are dead or no longer useful.

Tip: Reserve your bookmarks bar for only sites you visit frequently.

Tip: Again, make sure you title everything as sensibly as possible. If you won’t be able to tell what a bookmarked site is at a glance, you’ll probably never use it anyway.

5. Organize Your Writing

You can find any number of handy software programs to help you keep your writing as organized as possible.

Tip: Scrivener is the industry leader. It allows writers to organize story notes by scene and chapter, among other handy things. Nothing I’ve found beats Scrivener for keeping my notes in order and my mind focused on my story.

Organize your writing with a specialized writing software, such as Scrivener.

Wordplayers, tell me your opinions! How do you organize your writing? What’s your best tip? Tell me in the comments!

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