Be prepared. Have on hand a trash can, a pen, file folders, labels and
other desk organizational aids that suit your needs.
Be clear. Clear the space you want to organize (the desk surface, one of
the drawers, etc.). Then make a big pile of all the paper. Evaluate each item,
categorize it and put it away (in the desk drawer, in a file, in one of the desk
organizers, etc.), throwing out as much as possible.
Keep going. Even when you are feeling overwhelmed, just keep sorting
and categorizing. If you devote the necessary time, your desk can be cleared.
Get help. Enlist the help of a partner, a spouse, a secretary, someone
who can help you keep going.
Success is at hand
By Tami Reilly, member from North Vancouver, British Columbia
There’s more room to think in a tidy office. Often the clutter around you
becomes a barrier to moving forward with your ideas.
Start with the obvious. Begin by taking a garbage (or recycling) bag
and moving around the office, picking out the obvious things.
Group like things. Start making piles all over the floor to group similar
things—for example, unpaid bills, paid bills, customer correspondence,
receipts, project ideas, important phone numbers, agonizing pile (see the
next tip), etc.
Don’t agonize. If you come across papers or things you have no idea
what to do with, don’t get hung up on them! Make an “agonizing” pile, put
them there for now and keep going. Get the bulk of the clutter dealt with now.
Don’t get sidetracked. Today is your organizing day only. It can get stalled
easily if you allow yourself to start working on tasks as you uncover them
within your paperwork piles.
Start on the future. Write down your goals and keep them where you can
see them, using your “do it” list as a base. Take one goal that can easily be
accomplished by you in a week and accomplish it! Then write another goal for
the following week, equally easy, but building on your first accomplished goal.
Going slowly but surely will give you a model of success and the satisfaction of accomplishment. Getting organized is a means to an end: Having a
more productive, stress-free work environment means having more time to
grow your business!
Sharing a home office
By Donna Lindley, member from Rochester Hills, Michigan
Successfully sharing a home office requires planning and being mindful of the
needs of everyone involved. Here are some guidelines to help your household
set up a productive home office environment.
Determine activities. What activities occur in this space? Work? Bill
payment? Homework? Begin by assessing each individual’s home office
needs. Make a list of equipment and supplies needed to maximize the
efficiency of each activity.
Create zones. Each activity needs a dedicated place, or zone. Use the
equipment list to set up the zones. Do multiple zones require use of the copier?
