You Can Make Your Office More Organized

Most days, your job is probably challenging enough on its own. Yet everyday you can be making your job more difficult if your office is not organized. With just a few simple actions, you can make your office more organized and get more from your time.

Simple Tip #1: Don't change everything at once.

Change can be overwhelming, and habits take time to change. Completely rearranging your office may make you more organized. At the same time, it may make it harder to keep your new systems when the frustration of trying to remember all your new patterns starts to get to you. It may also be more than you needed to do.

Try to identify areas where you can make a small change that will make your office more organized. Let yourself get used to the adjustment, and see if it really is helping you. Once you are comfortable with that change, make another.

If it seems like a slow process, try making a couple of small changes together. Just be careful not to overwhelm yourself. Too many changes at once can actually cost you time as you try to remember all of the differences. It will cost you even more than time if you frustrate yourself into giving up on your office organization.

Simple Tip #2: Label and sort everything.

It can be tempting to just set papers aside and assume that you will remember what to do with them when we pick them up again. Sometimes you may think their purpose is obvious. Even if you do always remember (eventually), you can be wasting valuable time that would be saved by organizing.

The few seconds or minutes you spend remembering what, exactly, you meant to do with each item could easily be used more productively. Sorting through stacks of papers whose purpose you know, but which are unrelated, also wastes your precious time.

Designate folders, files, baskets and slots in your sorter based on which jobs tend to accumulate papers. The whole point of not filing these papers is to have them at hand; you can reach them much more quickly if they are organized. It will be easy if you remember that everything needs to have its place. Instead of starting a pile (or adding to that mountain on your desk), make a file.

Make a note on any paper that requires more action at a later time. Note exactly what needs to be done, and when. Place the paper into its correct basket, file or folder based on its purpose. You have just made a small, easy, and very useful step toward being more organized.

Simple Tip #3: Set up for tomorrow.

Walking into your office each day to a messy desk can be very discouraging. Even worse, it interferes with your productivity. When you are organized, it is easy to know where to start.

Instead of throwing everything into a drawer and rushing out the door, designate the last five or ten minutes of your day to clean up and set up for the next day. Label and sort any items that didn't get finished. Anything that may need immediate attention tomorrow can be put into a special folder for that purpose.

Take a minute to review your calendar. Leave a note for yourself in your "tomorrow" folder listing any emails you need to send or phone calls you need to return. If you have meetings scheduled, move the agendas and any paperwork you will need for the meetings into your "tomorrow" folder also. A few minutes of organization before you leave can make you a lot more prepared when you arrive.

Being organized doesn't have to be a nightmare. A few easy adjustments to your habits can make you more efficient and better prepared for the day. Consider it an investment in your future.