Office Space Advice
Tips to Organize Your Office Space
Published December 31st, 2008 by Jennifer LeClaire
2009 is right around the corner. Will you start the year off with a cluttered office space that leaves you pulling out your hair when you can’t find that sticky note with the important phone number in Spain? Or will you organize your office space for maximum productivity that gives you an advantage over the competition?
An Office Depot survey revealed that most business people – 53 percent, in fact – function in a state of “controlled chaos.” This is the time to change your organizational habits – and we have the help you need to make it easy.
Office Depot knows that many people resolve to get better organized in the new year. Yet, its surveys show more than two thirds of business professionals cannot bring order to their work lives because they don’t know where to start, how to maintain new systems or they simply get frustrated. Office Depot is setting out to help with what they call “The Five-Day Plan” for organizing your office space.
This is a nifty business resource that first helps you identify what style you are – a planner, procrastinator, or perfectionist. Understanding your personal style will help you determine how best to organize your office space and streamline your work habits for maximum productivity. I encourage you to visit Office Depot and read these materials. It only takes a few minutes – and could pay off with plenty of time savings.
In the meantime, here are a few tips to get you started.
1. Slim down the piles
A slimmed down waist line is wonderful, but what can you do about that huge stack of papers on the desk that has grown into multiple piles and makes your office space look like a tornado went through it? The first rule of thumb is “if you don’t need it, then toss it.” And use a shredder with sensitive documents to avoid identity theft. File papers you need but haven’t looked at in a while.
2. Tone-up your to-do lists
Create a master list categorized by priority and divide and conquer by breaking down large projects into manageable portions. The best way to organize is to use a planner, not your memory. However, the Office Depot study found that while 57 percent of men surveyed prefer to use electronic tools, such as PCs and PDAs, to stay organized, 34 percent of women stated that they prefer to use paper materials such as Day Planners. Use what works for you – even if it’s scratch paper. But use something.
3. Train for a less “taxing” tax season
Instead of stuffing receipts into shoeboxes, prepare an expanding file at the beginning of the year with tabs for all of your receipts. If you’ve ever scrambled to get your taxes done, only later to discover that you left out some significant expenses and have to file an adjustment, then you’ll be glad you set up a better file system.
Maybe you work from home. Maybe you rent a shared office space. Maybe you are a mobile professional who relies on virtual office solutions to make your business run. No matter what type of office rental you opt for, organization is a key to your success in 2009 and beyond.
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Rob Zeus January 1st, 2009 at 9:08 am
You don’t event want to see my office space… it looks like a war zone. Like many, one of my resolutions is to get more organized. I almost envy mobile professionals because they are forced to be efficient — at least while on the road — and they have a receptionist and other support in a virtual office while they travel. This Office Depot program is a good start for me… a procrastinator at organizing my office space. This year I am going to do it!
Maggie Correta January 1st, 2009 at 11:11 am
The point is, no matter what kind of office space you work from, organization is a key to productivity. Even if you have a virtual office and you travel most of the time, you still have office space at home that can be “controlled chaos.” It may even be more difficult for mobile professionals because they come back home with papers and contracts and photos that need to be filed away for safe-keeping. If attention isn’t given to the task before the next time out to field, it could quickly turn into those “piles” the article talks about.
Elizabeth Sanchez January 2nd, 2009 at 7:07 am
I loathe to see mention of tax time already, but Office Depot’s organizational specialists are right. Beginning to plan now can help you avoid the mad rush in April. Having an organized office space can help — even if you do put your receipts in a shoe box.
OK, enough commenting. It’s time to go organize my office space for the New Year! I’m starting with the piles.
Marcus Hester January 5th, 2009 at 5:33 am
OK, who came back to work today with a to do list longer than your vacation?
I’ve always used a good, old-fashioned day-timer to schedule my to-dos. It just seems to be the best way to keep it straight. I don’t like typing everything into my Blackberry. It’s too tedious.
This piece with tips for organizing an office space is very timely.