Do you spend more time searching for documents, supplies, emails or your mobile phone charger than working? If so, you are losing valuable productivity.
However, the good news is that getting back to normal requires just a little planning, commitment, and consistency.
These eight selected office organization tips from the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and Simplify Me Now can help you transform your workspace from stressful to serene, and help you increase your productivity by making it easier to search for files, documents, supplies and maintenance with ongoing projects and deadlines.
1. Purge your workspace
Let's be honest. If you are reading this, you are probably struggling to control the chaos that is your workspace. Where to start
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According to NAPO, the first step is to get rid of unnecessary things that take up your valuable office space. Check those piles of papers and get rid of the duplicates.
Clean your desk drawers and filing cabinets and throw away (or recycle) anything you haven't used in six months.
When you have only the necessary items left and you have eliminated excess clutter, you can more easily organize what is left.
2. Rearrange your office
Next, evaluate the furniture design in your newly purged space based on how you work. If you have to get up every time you need to throw something away or replace a file, your desk and floor can easily become your trash can / file storage, says NAPO. Organize furniture, files, and trash cans so they are easy and quick to access.
3. Organize your desk
Keep only the supplies and gadgets you need daily on your desk and keep them close at hand. In today's digital world, you probably won't need to keep a cup of pens and pencils or bottles of overflowing white, according to NAPO, but your computer, phone, some pens, a notepad, and a stapler should be within easy reach. . reach.
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Patty Kreamer, Certified Organizing Coach, Certified Professional Organizer, Author, Speaker, and President of www.byebyeclutter.com Kreamer Connect, says think of her as your friend circles.
The items you use the most should be available to your friends. The items you use less frequently (monthly or periodically) should be nearby, but you need to get up to access them - your acquaintances. Items you rarely or never use, but should keep should be out of your office entirely - strange, "she says.
Simplify Me Now suggests creating a paper workflow system for any incoming document. An inbox is for items that haven't been checked yet, a work-in-box is for items you're working on, and your filing system (see next tip) or trash bins will handle custom items. to finish them.
Be careful not to look at the documents, and then put them back on your desk. Make a decision for action and then go ahead. Of course, when this is not immediately possible, Kreamer says, "Think about the next step and put the document there. It is not where you put it but where you will look for it," he says.
4. Develop a filing system
There is no right or wrong when it comes to developing a filing system, as long as it matches the way you work and can be easily maintained, says Kreamer.
Depending on your personal preference, you can archive alphabetically, by project, by client, or some other method that works for you.
NAPO suggests using the same method for filing electronic documents as for paper. Regularly order, archive, and purge electronic documents and hard copies to avoid clutter.
A master list (index) of file names can help prevent duplicates from being created when you add new files, and help maintain organization of new files, clients, and projects.
And it's a great tool for others to use in your absence, says Kreamer. No more "where's that file?" phone calls to interrupt your vacation.
Keep the latest documents in front of the file for quick access, and be sure to check your company's record retention policy to make sure you're not dumping vital records.
Archive old records in bank tellers or invest in a digital scanner to store documents electronically.
5. Management
Whether you're still using a laptop and pen, PC software, or an app on your smartphone, keeping a to-do list can make sure you're on time and appointments and deadlines aren't missed. NAPO
Clear at least an hour each work day to focus on projects and action items, and NAPO suggests allocating twice as much time to each task than you initially estimate to account for interruptions and follow-up.
Kreamer suggests keeping track of your time for a week to get a better idea of how long certain tasks take before you start scheduling this way.
"And, if you're using a smartphone or an electronic tool, make sure it syncs," says Kreamer. "There is nothing more useless than a Droid or iPhone that does not 'talk' with your computer's calendar. The technology is so simple but many ignore it," she says.
Breaking down big projects into smaller steps and scheduling the time in the day to work on each one can do a short job of big tasks. But you have to program, she says.
"Surprisingly, the most neglected tool in time management is the calendar. I have spoken to hundreds of audiences and worked with countless clients in their office space and planning is not an important part of their day.
Most people they plan, they plan only meetings and appointments. They don't schedule time for the work to be done in the middle.
They create a to-do list on paper or in their head and never plan to do it. So the to-do list becomes a avoidance list, "says Kreamer.
6. Communicate on a schedule
Schedule time on your to-do list each day to answer emails and return phone calls. NAPO suggests doing this once in the morning and once in the afternoon for greater efficiency.
"Set a timer for 10 or 15 minute increments and do small sprints to get things done. We all know that the most effective time is 15 minutes before you have to walk out the door for a meeting or appointment," says Kreamer.
"That's called a deadline: A lot of deadlines of 10 to 15 consecutive minutes can produce surprising results."
Write an agenda for each phone call so you don't forget the important points, and if you have to leave a message, describe exactly the answer you need so that others can get exactly the information or action you need to complete your task.
7. Organize digitally
Being electronically organized is as important as being physically organized, says NAPO. Create different folders and subfolders in your email inbox for each client and project, so that when new emails arrive, you can act quickly and archive communications.
That way, when a new email arrives, you can act on it and then archive it in its proper electronic folder.
"If you have a backlog of emails in your inbox, create folders for each year and drag all emails for each year to their respective folder.
Going forward, don't let things stay in your Inbox unless you require action, "Kreamer says. "Delete, resend, or archive it. An email inbox should only contain emails that require action. It is not a storage drive."
8. Ritualize your work day
The organization is not a unique proposal; You must keep up with the influx of documents, files, projects, and communications.
When you're done working during the day, take about 15 minutes to update your to-do list, archive completed projects, and replace items in progress in their proper place.
That makes it a clean, fresh, and organized start when you get to work the next morning.
For more tips and guides on office desk organizer, check out https://meetnoor.com/