Entries Tagged 'Office/Paperwork Organizing' ↓

A HUGE part of home organization is keeping on top of paper.  Piles and piles of paper.  By far the biggest issue clients bring to me-how to get a handle on paper.  Well, today I don’t want to focus on how to organize it, I’m thinking more about how to destroy it!

Every home office MUST have a shredder.  They don’t take up that much space and they are affordable.  And just think of all the energy, time,  money and headaches that could be avoided by shredding sensitive documents and avoiding identity theft.  If you need to run out and shop for one now, a shredder that I have heard is very good is the Fellowes brand. 

When you bring in your mail, go through it as soon as you can.  Recycle what you don’t need straight into the recycle bin-all those inserts, the outside envelopes, flyers and catalogs that you don’t need.  Separate out what you need to keep as well as anything that needs to be shredded. 

Information on papers that should be shred:

If you have large quantities to shred, consider taking your bags or boxes to a company that will either place your documents in a locked box for future shredding or go to a facility that will shred right in front of you.  Also keep an eye out in your community for free shredding events.  Seek and destroy for home organization tip #5!

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With the many clients I have worked with on taming paper, there is never a shortage on things people have or want to read:  magazines, books, newsletters, flyers, papers from school, etc.  And with such busy schedules, it’s really hard to get to everything that looks like it might be interesting.  Since I always have plenty to read myself, I thought I would share three organizing tips for reading:

1. You honestly don’t have to read the whole thing.  This is an issue I have struggled with.  When I used to get a magazine, I would feel obligated to read it from cover to cover.  I finally realized it’s ok to read just what I am interested in and then to feel better about parting with it, I donate it to the libary.  I still struggle with letting go in the middle of a book.  My daughter learned how to “abandon’ a book in the 4th grade-she tries to get me to do it, but I’m not there yet!
2. Make quick decisions on what you want to read when it comes into your life.  If you don’t have time right that minute, at least designate a special spot or folder for future reading.  Take it with you when you have to sit and wait for appointments or while traveling.
3. Only save books that you know you will read again or use as resource material.  If you can get that resource information more up-to-date online, let it go.

Stay organized and on top of your reading and keep from feeling overwhelmed!

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Running two organizing businesses, I spend a lot of time in my office writing, marketing, talking on the phone, and much more…   That is why I know office organizing is crucial to the success of a business as well as the sanity of the business owner!  My office is very well organized, yet there are days when I walk in and it’s a wreck.  Those are the days that papers are on the desk, on my table and maybe even the floor for a little while.  You may say, “WHAT, but she’s a professional organizer!”  Really, during those times, it’s actually more messy than disorganized.  What’s the difference?  The difference is, I have systems set up in place to quickly find and put away anything in my path.  The difference is, I just have to jump in there, prioritize my work and, most importantly, make sure I am setting aside adequate time to do that work. 

So, let me share five reasons office organizing is so important to me:

1. I have a clear space to work.
2. I can focus on the task at hand.
3. I can find anything I need in seconds and that’s a great feeling!
4. Less mess equals less stress.
5. I can prioritize my tasks easily when I know where everything is.

Invest  time to organize your office and the pay off will be worth it!!

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I’m on a kick tonight to do some office organizing and I love it!  Summertime is a tricky time to balance kids home from school, the house, business and some fun.  Earlier this week I put a halt to everything, packed up a book, the kids and we headed to the beach.  In a few weeks school will be back in session and we needed to take a break and just relax! 

Now, this afternoon I had to go the other direction and everything had to stop so I could get some work done.  Once I got going on crossing some things off my to-do list, I got the bug to organize and declutter in my office too.  Here are five easy steps you can do to organize your office:

1. Consolidate items by placing same items together-paper with paper, envelopes with envelopes, folders with folders, etc.
2. Look for ways to reduce packaging: combine half-empty boxes such as envelopes, get rid of empty boxes, especially ones that held computer programs.
3. Create a recyle and shred pile-then recycle and shred those papers!
4. Gather everything together that needs to leave the room such as items that need to go to someone else.  If it’s not time for it to leave the house yet, then at least put it all in one place so you can grab and go when it’s time.
5. Do some general cleaning,:  empty the trash, wipe down your computer, dust the desk.

It feels great to spend some of my time on office organizing and helps me think more clearly and feel less distracted.  Give it a go!

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Home office organization can be a struggle when dealing with paper is such a big issue for people; I see it with clients all the time.  It’s easy to be overwhelmed and drowning in paper because it’s coming at us all the time.  The mail-junk and bills, newsletters, magazines, catalogs and if you have kids then watch out!  Not only do kids produce art and homework sheets for us to admire, the school and PTA are always generous with information to share. 

I think one of the factors that creates chaos in our home offices is not making quick decisions on what we want and what we need to read.  It all comes into the home and ends up in a pile because we think it’s important and we are going to get around to reading it.  It piles up on tables.  It piles up on countertops.  It piles up on desktops.  It may even pile up on the floor before long. 

When paper comes into the home, as soon as you possibly can, stand next to the garbage and recycle and go through it.  Make quick decisions.  Are you REALLY going to read that prospectus?  Come on-recycle it.  Do you need that catalog or can you go online and look?  Is your child going to sign up for dance lessons?  If not, recycle that flyer right away. 

Get your papers down to what you REALLY do want to read and have a folder or basket for it to live in until you can sit and read.  Home office organization is possible when you get rid of the reading material that really doesn’t matter!

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Today I had a bug to go through my files so I thought this would be a good time to talk about how to stay on top of your home filing system.  There are a few things visually you might notice from the photo above from one of my file drawers:

• All of the tabs are on the left.
• All of the folders inside the hanging files are center position.
• I used purple folders for a fun, visual effect when I open my drawer.
• I used a label machine to make very clear, clean, easy-to-read labels.
• I labeled the hanging file as well as the interior manilla folders.

As you can see, the files are neat, organized, clearly labeled and all those factors make it easy to find the papers I need quickly.  Once you have your papers separated into categories and filed away, the next big piece of the puzzle is staying on top of your files by purging them regularly.  This will be easy because:

• You can get to your papers easily, they aren’t in piles.
• You can invest a little bit of time if that’s all you have by going through a certain number of files per day until you hit them all.
• You usually only need to purge once or twice per year.

We file away papers we think we will need again in the future.  Purging once or twice a year gives you another opportunity to look at those papers and decide on their importance once again.  Usually with the passing of time, we realize we can let a lot of it go.  Stay on top of your home filing system and keep papers easily accessible!

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Today I had it hit me just how important home filing systems are.  I was busy filling out a form that required me to look up a great deal of information.  Although a boring and tedious task, it was made that much easier because everything I needed was right at my fingertips.  No stressing, no panicking that something was lost. 

Another day recently, I was on the phone with someone who asked me a question and I had the information we were discussing in seconds.  It was a little funny to me when they were surprised how quickly I found it!  I had to remind them that I am indeed a professional organizer!

But you don’t have to be a professional organizer to have files close at hand, you do have to put in some time and effort to place papers in files and label clearly.  Invest effort in organizing your home filing system today and enjoy having papers that can be found quickly!

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One of the biggest hurdles people have for being organized is all of the paperwork that constantly comes their way!  With all those papers comes lots of reading and it is very easy for us to become overwhelmed by all that material.  It comes in many forms:  books, magazines, articles, brochures, newsletters, mail, newspapers, catalogs and on & on. 

 Here are a few ideas for organizing and taming the reading material beast:

• Log on to Catalog Choice to reduce unwanted catalogs.
• Don’t feel obligated to read the whole magazine.  It’s ok to just read the articles that you are interested in.  If it makes you feel better, donate the magazine to your local library when you are done.
• Cancel any subscriptions you are no longer interested in.  Just because you used to like it doesn’t mean you have to stick with it forever.
• Use a basket or magazine rack to keep reading material close to where you like to sit and read it.
• Place smaller items to read in a folder labeled “To Read.”  Examples may be brochures, newsletters, flyers.

And the biggest tip:  Schedule time in your week to actually sit down and read so you can stay on top of it all!

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Yes, professional organizers have to juggle paperwork too!  Lately I’ve been going to a lot of meetings.  Well, the good news is they all seem to have involved good food, the bad news is my desk was starting to clutter with papers since I wasn’t at home working on them.  When I have a cluttered desk, I can’t think straight.   So to get myself started, I just did a quick sort.  Anything related to personal papers went on one pile and anything related to business paperwork, went on a second pile.  Right away I had clear space on my desk, already feeling better!

Next, I grabbed two pieces of scratch paper.  At the top of one I wrote “Business” and at the top of the other paper I wrote “Personal.”  I made a quick list of the things I would like to accomplish on each sheet. 

The sorting and the lists were just enough to clear my head, clear space on my desk and give me focus & direction.  Now I can tackle the tasks throughout the weekend.  Organizing my own paperwork really wasn’t so bad!

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More and more people are working from their homes and trying to balance personal paperwork as well as business paperwork.  I am one of those people.   We definitely are not a paperless society, paper is one of the biggest issues I see with clients.  So how do you keep from getting it all mixed up?

If you have do all of your paperwork from one desk, like many of us do, make every effort to separate personal from business.   Let’s start with the files.  You can separate hanging file folders  in several ways.

1.  Use 2 different filing cabinets-1 for business, 1 for personal files.

2.  Use different drawers, 1-2 drawers for business, 1-2 drawers for personal files.

3.  If you have to share a drawer then use different colored hanging file folders, 1 color for business, 1 color for personal files.

How about the papers you are currently working on?  Again separate them by using two different step sorters with labeled folders.  When you are in ‘personal’ mode you know right where to zero in on where your paperwork is.  When you are in ‘business’ mode, everything business will be at your fingertips.

Organizing your home office and finding what you need will be easier if you separate personal from business!

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