Organized Office or Cluttered Mess?

Organized Office or Cluttered Mess?

The way you set up your business office, in the beginning, makes all the difference between having an organized office or a cluttered mess.  If you put a little time and thought into it, you can make it right, whether you work in the home or outside of the home.

Easy clutter is when papers and “stuff” pile up easily. This happens when you don’t set up your office right in the beginning. Start by setting up a place for everything you know where to put. Then make sure to leave spaces for the unknown things that may pop up.

If you fill every nook and cranny of your office, in the beginning, you won’t have room for things that come up later. So go over areas of your office as you place your furniture. Make sure if you’re right handed you leave room on the right side of the desk for you to write and be able to lay out papers and such. If you’re left handed do the same on the left side.

* Have a tiered file holder for immediate needs and things you’re working on. Make sure to label them well so they’re easy to grab.
* Keep your planner on the desk to write down messages and conversation details you need to keep track of. Set up a schedule that includes putting your planner on your desk at the beginning of each day.
* For jotting down quick notes, keep a lined notepad next to the phone and do your best to transfer that information into your planner as soon as possible.
* Neatly plan your closet or cabinet space with your extra files, software, records, etc…
* Have an office supplies cabinet or drawer so that you only have to go to one place when you need to refill something.

If you are already in the midst of clutter and a disorganized office, think of starting new. Set aside one or two days during your least busy time to dig in and redo your office and files. If you haven’t touched something for one year or more, and you don’t have to keep it, dump it. There are some things you don’t necessarily need for a long time but need to keep on file for record keeping and in our case to keep a record of past sale flyers, catalogs, etc… Make up a file box for those. Keep it handy, inside the closet, out of site.

Here are photos of one of my many desks throughout the years.

Susie’s office after clean up for lunch.

Susie’s office while working on projects.

Until next time…

Copyright ©2003 Susie Glennan
All Rights Reserved.