Organizing your Office

Your office can be the place where you spend the majority of your time away from home. If your office is cluttered and disorganized, it can therefore easily be a major source of the frustration and stress you take home from the office (and dare I say it, take it out on the family!) Therefore any time spent getting your office organized is time well spent to reduce some stress, not to mention improved efficiency. I don't think anyone could be efficient in an office that looks like the one in the picture. If that is how your office looks, you really need to read the rest of this post.

Craig J. Vom Lehn shares some good tips in his "How to become successful!" blog in an article entitled Ten Ways to Get Rid of Office Clutter. Here is his list, then I will highlight one I think is especially important.

1. Assess your space. Is there a place to store non-priority files, extra office supplies, etc?
2. Take immediate action. Decide daily which item you no longer need and get rid of it.
3. On Friday, go through your desk ten minutes before work ends and throw away things that you know are just idle clutter.
4. Organize and systemize. Organize paperwork, reports, etc. into files that are filed by a system of priorities.
5. Remove personal clutter.
6. De-clutter your computer. (See my previous post Organize your computer's desktop)
7. Clear floor space. This will create a perception of more space (and people won't trip over things!)
8. Don't become a dumping ground. (I'll highlight this one in a bit later.)
9. Learn from others. Visit other de-cluttered offices to pick up tips for yourself. Notice how they use desk and floor space efficiently.
10. Keep it clean! Keep office furniture dusted, trash bins empty, throw food stuffs some place outside of your office (do you really like those lingering nasty smells?)

By utilizing these organizational tips, you will boost your job productivity. And that is a good thing!

Now to # 8. Don't become a dumping ground. Here is Craig's explanation. "When you're working on a project with others, let one of them become that place where all project-related documents are kept. If a co-worker wants to leave a stack of papers for you to review, offer instead to visit your co-worker's office to review them there. This also presents an opportunity to take a break away from your office."

The break away from your own office is good. It gives you a chance to stretch, to get your mind off of your current tasks for a bit, to let your mind flow freely while you walk to the other office (that's when solutions to problems often present themselves), gives your legs a little exercise, and gives you a change of scenery.

Keeping the "stack of papers" in your co-worker's office also keeps that clutter out of your office. Plus you don't have that stack of papers staring you in the face reminding you that you have to look at them sometime (stress building from the ground up). That way you can schedule yourself a time when you want to look them over and do them at your own pace, rather than because those papers were staring you down until you finally gave in. Don't underestimate the power of a stack of papers!

You can check out the full article for a little more explanation to all these points. Also, see my previous post Organize by dealing with it once!

So there you have it - a way to help keep your office decluttered, your stress level a little lower, and your efficiency a little higher. Wow. Aren't you glad you read this?

Organize by pre-bussing

Today's organizational thoughts have grown out of the restaurant industry. Being a restaurant manager, I have learned a lot about how people work, or try to get out of work.

Pre-bus: When people are eating at a restaurant, the servers are supposed to remove dishes that are no longer needed while the customer is still there. That is referred to as pre-bussing. When the main dish is brought out, the salad plates and soup bowls should be removed provided the customer is finished with them. When dessert is served, the plates used for the meal are to be removed, again as long as the customer is finished. That gives the customers more room as they talk and finish their drinks and get the kids ready to go. Plus it means most of the work of cleaning off the table is already done, saving valuable time later when we need the table for the next customers.

Here's the problem. Most of the servers will try to avoid this part of their job by saying they don't have time to pre-bus. At the same time, they will walk past their tables to the kitchen ten times with empty trays. If they just picked up one item on each trip, the job would be done with no extra steps or effort. They are already going that way anyway.

So, I'm going to apply this pre-bus option to staying organized at work or at home. When leaving your desk, check to see if there is a pop can, coffee cup, or book that you will no longer be using. Take it along with you and you will be one step closer to a cleaner desk without any extra effort. Heading out to the garage? Grab the tool that is out of place and take it along. Coming in from the car? Bring along anything that shouldn't stay in the car and you won't have to wonder where it is later. Going to the kitchen after eating a "couch potato" snack? Put the dishes or glasses in the dish washer rather than on the counter where it constitutes clutter. These are restaurant pre-bussing techniques which can help keep us organized at home or at the office. As we say at the restaurant, "It is easier to keep up than to catch up!"

It wasn't my table! Another way servers will try to avoid work is to say, "That wasn't my table." Their section doesn't have any clean tables, so they can't get sat to make more money. Yet they don't want to clean off a table that is available because it wasn't theirs originally. Meanwhile, the original server is busy in a new section and can't get it cleaned off. As I look at it, they are being lazy and losing money. It doesn't make any difference whose table it was. It needs to be cleaned. The sooner the better. It is called turnover. The quicker the turnover, the more money they make.

So at home or at the office. It doesn't make any difference who put it there. If it doesn't belong there it should be moved, put away, or tossed in the trash. It's your office, your home, your car, your desk. It doesn't matter who put something there, you can take care of it.

Don't wait for the bus! As managers, one of our responsibilities is to watch labor. We are allowed so many labor hours for so many customers. When the customer count begins to die down, we have to start cutting workers to keep the labor hours in line with the customer count. We are constantly being told, "You cannot wait for the bus." In other words, don't keep a lot of workers on the clock just in case a bus load of people show up.

In our case at home, or at the office, don't wait until it will take a bus to cart off all the mess. Keep at it continually and it will never build up to an unsightly mess. It takes a little ongoing effort, but in the long run will save time. It takes a while to fill the bus when it gets that messy. It takes a while to find something when you have to sort through a bunch of things that shouldn't be there. Don't wait until you need a bus.

Don't put it where it doesn't belong! The best clutter-prevention is don't put something where it doesn't belong in the first place. Of course, when you are having a cup of coffee, you need the coffee cup there. But when you are done, don't leave it where it shouldn't be. Don't put it on the counter where it doesn't belong. Put it in the dishwasher, or wash it and hang it up, or whatever you need to do at the office.

You'll be glad you did! In the long run, you'll appreciate the little extra effort you put in along the way. When you come back to your desk, or back to the kitchen, you'll like the way it looks. You'll be able to get at your next task without having to clean up first. You won't have to worry about someone seeing it looking like a mess.

It is not that I am a neat freak. That would be closer to a description for my wife. But I appreciate that about her. I have loved her that way for 38 years next month. She's not going to change now, and I wouldn't want her to.

We used to play golf with some other couples. Afterwards we would go to one of our houses for cards. We usually took turns, but often the others would say, "We have to go home and clean up first." We would have to wait and come later, or volunteer our house. People could/can walk into our house any time and find it neat and clean. That is a good feeling. It is simply because my wife follows the procedures I'm talking about. She wants everything put back where it belongs, picked up as we go, and put away when we're done. I like the end result.

Organize your file system

A filing system can be good or bad. I see some files that make it harder to find things than if they were all just laying in a pile. The file folders are in a random order. The labels are scribbled and faded, and therefore hard to read. The tabs are ragged and bent over so they can't even be seen. That all makes for a big mess, and can make a person feel very unorganized, especially when looking for something you know is there and it can't be found. This post will focus on creating a filing system that is easier to use, rather than organizing the contents of the files. Organizing the contents can be a later post.

Several years and two jobs ago, I converted to hanging file folders. Earthwise(R) Hanging File Folders That was an immediate huge improvement. Hanging file folders are much easier to look through. They don't fall backwards or forwards with all the rest of the folders. If there are not too many files stuffed into a drawer, the contents can be seen without even taking it out of the drawer. It works much better than just having a bunch of file folders sitting in a drawer or box. Plus the file folders have tabs which sit up above the file folder far enough to actually be seen. It didn't take me long to switch to hanging folders in my filing cabinet at home.

Some file cabinets are set up for hanging file folders. If yours are not set up for hanging file folders, a frame can be purchased to convert any file cabinet for use with hanging file folders.

Oxford(R) Hanging File Folder Frames

Hanging folders, however, don't eliminate the scribbled file labels which don't look real professional and can be hard to read. I like things to look neat and tidy. That's where a viewable labeling system is helpful.

Smead(R) Viewables(R) Color Labeling System Starter Kit For Hanging Folders

This system includes plastic tabs which stand upright. Software is included to print labels along with plastic protection sheets which make the labels last much longer. I use a color option version which can print colored labels to further categorize my files. It makes a file drawer a pleasure to look into.

At a previous job, the files were a mess. Rag-tagged beat up folders and faded scribbled tabs made it hard to find anything. I told my regional manager that I would like to convert their files to hanging folders with viewable labels. This company wasn't into spending cash for extras that they hadn't thought of, so I wasn't sure what response I would get. After I explained what it would be like compared to the current system, I got the go ahead. It wasn't long and the word had spread. Other stores were doing the same. It seems like such a simple thing, but it sure made a difference.

If you're having trouble finding things in your filing cabinet, or hope no one is looking when you open the file drawer, consider upgrading your file folders to hanging files. And I would highly recommend the viewable labeling system. If you like things to look neat and be easy to use like I do, you'll appreciate the time spent converting over. It would be a nice thing to do for yourself at the beginning of a new year.

Organize by looking at the small picture

Getting organized can seem to be an overwhelming task. It is no fun looking at a cluttered room like that pictured on the right, or a desk that needs to be cleaned up. Looking at that large stack of papers that has built up on the "To do" pile can destroy one's motivation. Thinking "I need to clean up my whole house" or "I need to get this office straightened up" can seem like an endless task. We feel defeated before we even begin. Getting started can be the hardest step.

It helps to begin by dividing the task into small parts, looking at the small picture. Divide the house into rooms, then the room into sections and decide to get one of those small sections organized first. Do that entire small section until you are satisfied rather than doing a little here and there in the whole room. When that small section looks good, you will feel better. Then take a break and pat yourself on the back for a good start. When you are ready to tackle some more, do another small section.

Do the same with the office, desk or workbench. Start with the small picture -- a drawer or tool chest that needs to be cleaned out. Get that done first and you will have room to put some of the other things that you need to save but have just piled on top. Or begin with a corner of the desk or workbench. Tell yourself you'll get that done first. Then do another small section another time. In the mean time, be sure to keep the original small section clean.

If you have decided to take on the "to do" pile, take a small stack off the top. Actually the bottom portion of the pile is probably the oldest and needs to be done first. Do a quick sort to get at the smaller picture. Some items will be out of date and can be tossed in the waste basket. Toss them fast. Don't hesitate and think maybe you will look at them some other day. Some items will be important and should be taken care of immediately. Some can wait. Deal with the urgent stack of items immediately. Take care of them by dealing with them once. Don't allow yourself to put them back on the "To do" pile or you'll end up having to start all over. See my previous post in this blog on "Organize by dealing with it once." When you get that small stack done, take a short break, then do another stack. Or promise yourself you will do another small stack first thing in the morning. Get a small stack done each day. As long as you take more off the pile than you put on that day, you'll soon catch up and have that mess of a "To do" pile conquered. Then do your best to keep up with it each day so the pile doesn't grow again.

Break any organizational job into smaller tasks and look at the small picture only. Then the project won't be so overwhelming. Don't try to take on the entire house, or office, or utility shed, or garage. Break it up into a smaller picture. You'll get more done, and can be satisfied with each step accomplished. Soon you will feel good about being organized and it will be much easier to stay organized.