30-Day Challenge: Keeping a clean routine

Last month I said I'd start doing 30-day challenges to better my life, instead of taking gratuitous photos of random things everyday.

For March, I've decided to create, tweak and hopefully maintain a clean routine. See, I'm usually very messy, but once in a while I get an explosive, raging and often short-lived burst of productivity and cleanliness. I think it's time I make those outbursts a habit.

My routine will focus on keeping my desk clear. This means assigning actions to stuff—research projects, homework, reading assignments—as soon as they reach my desk. I can either relegate them to long-term storage if I'm through with them, chuck them in my "In" bin so I can work o them later, or stack them neatly on my desk if I plan on working on them right away.

I'm anticipating some kinks—perhaps some action items that are hard to sort—so I'll be taking note of them as the month goes by so I can apply all that I learn into a long-term "neatness plan."

It's a good thing I decided to do this in March, too. It's the busiest time of the year for me, with deadlines looming and extracurricular activities demanding my attention. I'll get to test-drive my new routine to the limit.