Organize Your Office (and Time) for Maximum Efficiency

By Pamela Mims, PilesIntoFiles.com

Are there stacks of papers and piles of files all over your desk, floor, and office? Are you constantly rearranging project deadlines? Are you costing your company time and money because of misplaced files or documents?

The Cost of Being Disorganized

Being disorganized eats up your time, and that equals money. For example, having to search for papers, files, and documents just to get your hands on the work you need to do, you can easily lose at least 30 minutes a day. If your annual salary is $90,000, the time wasted will cost your company about $4,500 in lost productivity a year!

Disorganization can also damage your company's credibility. In business, first impressions are very important. A work environment that is poorly organized and cluttered will project a negative image to your existing and potential customers.

Why Get Organized?

• Getting organized brings structure, logic, and control to you, your co-workers, your staff, and your company.

• Getting organized optimizes workflows and, thus, increases productivity, reduces stress, and heightens profitability.

• Getting organized builds universal systems companywide and defines employee/staff responsibilities.

• Getting organized motivates others on your team to come to grips with other challenges, such as changing priorities, excessive workloads, and information overload.

Tips to Get Organized

You did not become disorganized overnight, and you have to realize that it will not be undone in one day. Here are some start-up strategies that can get you on the right track if implemented over the course of a month or perhaps even just a week:

Get a Good Desk. Find a desk that is suitable for your personal work habits, business functions, and other daily needs. If you refer to books, manuals, or publications as a daily routine, a desk with an upright hutch or shelving above your desk would be good. If you have sizeable floor space, an L-shaped desk would be a consideration: You can keep your computer on one section and also have a large workspace on the other.

Manage Your Time Better. Reassess how much time tasks will actually take, and schedule them accordingly. You might want to map out on paper all of the necessary steps (from start to finish) that need to be taken in order to fully complete a task. Until you master calculating your time, add an additional 25 to 30% to the time that you think you will need to accomplish your task.

Time Yourself. One great tip is to time yourself. Purchase a timer; and to begin with, set it to time one-half hour to an hour for a project. You have to totally dedicate that entire time to the assigned project; pretend that you are at an appointment with a client where you would not answer the phone, stop to answer e-mail, etc. When the timer rings, stop. You can then move on to another task, again using the timer. You will be amazed at how much you will get done practicing this method: It helps you get into the habit of "focusing." Do this a few times on repetitive tasks and make notes on how long each task takes, so that you can remember to allow ample time in the future.

Throw Away Old or Unnecessary Papers. Nowadays we seem to generate more paper than ever -- from business mail, junk mail, e-mails, faxes, and memos -- paper is the largest contributor to clutter in an office environment. Many people accumulate paper clutter because they panic, fearing they might throw away something important: "I might need it someday!" However, 80 percent of the paper you save "just in case" is normally never needed again. And remember that in nearly all cases, you can recreate a document or retrieve it from another source. Two of your best friends are a trashcan and shredder!

Make Quick Decisions. Clutter happens when you put off making decisions. Try to get into the habit of deciding quickly whether you should keep paper, mail, and other items. When you make quick, confident decisions, you will keep things moving rapidly through your life, which prevents backlog.

Some Other Tips for Getting Organized at Work:

• Have a master to-do list and a master project list for each day at your desk.

• Pre-sort your mail (immediately): "File," "Read," "Contact," "Toss." 

• Use a variety of desktop organizers or trays to organize papers that come across your desk.

• Sub-divide large files with interior sub-files.

• Return phone calls in chunks of time. You may decide to set aside a time each day strictly for returning calls; if the person you are phoning is not available, you can just leave a detailed message. Let others know that you are available via phone only during certain hours or that you return calls only during a specific time. This prevents repeated calls, which saves you time.

• Designate an allotted amount of time to write or respond to e-mails. (This is a great time for the timer!)

• Empty your workspace of everything but the project you are working on, to cut down on distractions.

• Organize your paperwork and file or store it away at the end of every project or event.

• Straighten your desk at the end of the day, especially at the end of the workweek, so that you can start each morning with a clear desk.

About the Author

Pamela Mims is a professional organizer specializing in small office and law firm filing-system set-up and paper workflow systems. You may visit her Web site, www.PilesIntoFiles.com, for more information or e-mail Pam, info@pilesintofiles.com.