Organizing Your Office    

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Getting Organized at Work or in Your Home Office

In a business setting, being organized makes a world of difference. Organization not only helps in common tasks such as meeting deadlines, retrieving information quickly for an appointment, or keeping your desk pile free for your client who’s stopping by- it  makes you a trusted business professional. Clients, vendors, customers, employees, and others will be able to rely on you to be on time for a meeting, pay bills on time, follow through, keep your word, manage a project well, and store records or papers without losing them.  For me, it is crucial to practice what I preach. How can I tell clients to organize all day, if I don’t keep my business and home organized? I don’t stay organized for others; I maintain organization because it saves me a ton of time and prevents wasting money by overbuying.  The efficiency and productivity from being organized is priceless.

Busy professionals often have desks and offices filled with:

• Mounds of paper.

• CDs, memory sticks and business cards scattered all over

• Overstuffed and outdated files

• Post-its and scraps of paper tacked to the wall or bulletin board.

• Broken or unused computer /office equipment

• A shredder buried under paper

• An overflowing garbage can

• Junk drawers filled with who knows what

• Bookshelves full of outdated computer software and college textbooks

If your office needs some organizing, we’re here to help. Your office is where you spend most of your time, working to make the most of your salary, to pay for most of the things in your life. An office is for working- getting things done.  So don’t we want to be Focused. Efficient. Creative. Productive. Energized . Excited . and Inspired. when working? Look at what office clutter is robbing you of. Why put off making your office the best environment and productivity center ever? Now’s the time to organize. The benefits are numerous and you’ll be glad you did.

Here’s some office organizing tips to get your office back on track.

Organize your space

• Designate one file folder, one pad of paper, or one Word document in the computer to keep all passwords and usernames organized. Of course, disguise or hide it, if you need to.

• Keep your filing system simple. Only file permanent records and records used for taxes. If you don’t have a lot of time to file, just use twelve folders with the twelve months on them. File papers by the month. That’s truly the simplest method.

• Go Wireless. Less cords creates less hassle and mess. Laptops, IPads, and smartphones are common household electronics these days. Linking them all up to a wireless printer and accessing the internet throughout the house is a no brainer. Try a wireless internet provider such as Wireless Internet, Comcast, or At&T.
  

• Get a large garbage bin and an expensive ($75 or more) shredder. The cheap ones break, always jam, overheat, or are super slow. It’s worth the investment. Don’t forget to get a second garbage can designated for recycling.

• Set an audible computer reminder everyday at the same time. Take 5-10 minutes to listen to it and act on it, by putting things away, throwing paper out, and filing. If you only follow or do one of these tips, this would be the best one, by far!

• Every time you pick up a new piece of paper, ask yourself, “What’s the next action step required for this paper?” – is it to do, to call, to fax, to email, to research, to read etc. Take your five most common action steps, label trays or boxes with that action word, and start to place paper in them DAILY

• Containerize and label all the small things- CDs, memory sticks, business cards, post its, pads of paper, etc.

• Use drawer organizers in every drawer so loose change, paper clips, and erasers don’t get out of hand.

• Use plastic-colored envelopes, which you can buy at any office store, to hold different paper groups (i.e., coupons, store cards, extra credit cards, stamps and return address labels, etc.) Loose paper floats around and gets lost on desk tops and in drawers.

Streamlining your office expenses 

• Read and dissect your monthly Profit & Loss statements. Make sure you’re aware of how much money you’re spending on different areas of your business.  If you don’t understand how to read it, ask your financial advisor to walk you through it.

• Cut out what really isn’t necessary or what you can do yourself in tough financial times. Perhaps bring more lunches and less catering and eating out.

• Look for talented family or friends that could do the tasks you currently have to outsource and spend money on. Be creative where you could cut corners.

• Reduce your cell phone bill by reducing the amount of features you subscribe to. Every bit adds up.

• Power down your electronics in your office at the end of each day. It not only is better of the environment, it saves you electricity dollars when the bill comes.  

Many of my clients ask- how do I know what to keep for taxes? how should I set up my filing system? how do I stop all this junk mail. Read our Ask Amber page for these answers.

We recommend these paper shredding companies:

• American Mobile Shredding and Recycling, Inc. 708-243-7057 or 708-243-7056

• Docu Shred, Westmont, IL call 630-986-5411 for pickup at your location (minimum $65 charge) Drop off sites for Docu Shred include: UPS Stores at 3 Grant Square, Hinsdale and 900 Ogden, Downers Grove. Kwik Copy at 44 Ogden, Downer’s Grove.

• Shred First, Des Plaines, IL

• Secure Eco-Shred- 4455 North Elston Ave. Chicago, IL  60618 773-685-0100- This is a store front where you can bring in your bags of paper to be shredded. They charge $0.50/lb with (I think) a $10 minimum. Call to be sure.

   

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