An Organized Office to Help Your Business Thrive

When you enter your office, how do you feel? Are you inspired to be there or do you dread even stepping in the door? Although a messy desk can seem like a minor annoyance, according to a survey conducted by Office Depot (and published in the American City Business Journal), “One third of all business people lose more than 15 minutes a day or two hours every week hunting for lost papers, sorting through messy files and rebooking missed appointments.“ What would you do with two extra hours in your week - write a blog post, contact 10 new business prospects, or attend a networking event?

In order to be your most productive self, it helps to have an office space that is organized. This will allow you to use your time efficiently and easily locate the information or tools you need to run your business. Below are a few suggestions to help organize your office:

Have the Right Tools:

• Desktop Trays – Have an inbox, outbox and "To File" bin. Your desk can quickly become covered in piles if every piece of paper you need to deal with is placed on top of it as a reminder to get something done. Instead, use desktop trays to contain the piles. Then, schedule regular times to go through the piles and act on the items.
• Trash, Recycle Bin & Shredder - When you go through the paper in your office you have 3 choices: act on it, file it, or get rid of it. If you don't need the paper then drop it in your recycle bin, or shred it if it contains confidential information.
• Calendar & To-Do List(s) – It's always helpful to know where you need to be and what you need to get done in order to be your most productive self. Maintain a well organized to-do list and use it in conjunction with your calendar in order to schedule time to get things done.
• Contact Management System – Searching for contact information on random scraps of paper, within e-mails cluttering your inbox, or on business cards strewn about your desk is very inefficient. Develop a well-organized contact management system, and for maximum efficiency, ensure that it’s portable and backed-up regularly.
• Project Files – Create project files for each current project you're working on and keep them easily accessible.
• Reference Files – Create files for information you want to keep but don't need ready access to all the time.

Make Organization a Regular Part of Your Day

Cleaning and organizing your office can be a very overwhelming task and one most people put off for a long time. In order to keep things from getting out of control, spend 10-15 minutes at the end of every day to put away items you’ve worked on, prioritize for the next day, and create a space that inspires you and is one you look forward to using.

Create a Weekly Review Time

Yes, you are busy, and adding one more thing to your calendar can seem impossible. However, if you don't schedule a review of your commitments, you'll probably spend more time reacting to what appears to be the latest crisis (think of your e-mail inbox) rather than doing the things that you deem a priority. The first step for success is to schedule a 30-60 minute block on your calendar. Use this time as follows:

• Process your Inbox - This means adding items to your calendar and to-do list and filing paperwork as needed. The more often you process your inbox, the less time it will take.
• Review your e-mail inbox for action items that need to be added to your to-do list.
• Check your calendar for upcoming appointments and meetings. Identify actions you need to take in preparation for meetings and add them to your to-do list.
• Dump your brain of all those nagging items that you have yet to add to your to-do list.
• Review your to-do list for items that are no longer pertinent (delete them) and prioritize the remaining items for what you are going to focus on over the next week.

Getting organized can seem like an overwhelming task. However, with the right tools and routines in place your office will become the productivity center you need in order to make your business thrive.

Lori Krolik, CPES, is the owner and founder of More Time For You, a professional organizing and productivity consulting business. With over 15 years of experience in the Professional Organization Industry, Lori has lead multitudes of workshops and coached thousands of clients on how to simplify their lives by creating organization systems that fit their space and lifestyle, and managing their time, in order to live and work more efficiently. Lori is currently the President of WNA Chapter 122 in Los Altos, California.