An organised office

The (Home) OfficeOccasionally, we are called upon to visit new clients’ on-site to help organise them. This can be at home or in their office but the methods are just the same. Once we have them organised and the recycling bin over flowing, we leave them with a much clearer space, a determination to keep organised and the following tips:Tip 1 - No clutter - No distraction. Keep only the items on your desk that you are using for that particular project so you are free from distractions. That includes people!Tip 2 - Write it down! Writing things down will save time and frustration later. Why take the chance of forgetting an appointment when it only takes seconds to write it down or better still pop it into your email calendar with a reminder.Tip 3 - Schedule block times to work on similar tasks. Update your records whilst everything is on your desk and fresh in your mind. Make all your phone calls together, write all your letters in one sitting and spread out your end of month tasks onto different days.Tip 4 - Clean your filing cabinet. Go through and organise your papers & folders. Then schedule time to purge your files. This can be done monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or even annually, depending on how messy you are. Just make sure you do it on a regular basis.Tip 5 - Use one calendar. Having one calendar to keep track of all your work and personal dates will eliminate missed or conflicting appointments.Tip 6 – Set a timer! If you are still establishing a routine or just aren’t good at following them, set a timer or alarm to go off when it’s time for you to switch tasks. This will keep you on schedule and help you figure out how long you need to complete each task.Tip 7 - Keep your receipts together. Makes it easier to record your expenses and claim your money back!Tip 8 - Have a drawer organiser for all your small desk items such as paper clips, pens, rubber bands, etc. Having everything in one place saves time when reaching for something because you know where it is. Another benefit is you can see at a glance when you need to restock items.Tip 9 - Put everything back where it belongs. Seconds spent doing this now will save minutes or hours looking for it looking for it later.Tip 10- Only touch a piece of paper once! Don’t move it from one place to another but deal with it, file or bin it. Similarly, if you’ve taken the time to read an email, act on it, set yourself a reminder about it or delete it. Published by Enterprise Nation                              http://missjones.info/                                                     January 17th 2009