I have just returned from three days at the Professional Organizers in Canada annual conference here in Toronto. It was an information packed, fun filled and industry driving conference with almost 25% of the organization’s membership in attendance.
The talent in attendance was exceptional. Harold Taylor and Krista Green were both in attendance to reveal their latest training and business development programs. Elaine Shannon from the Organizing Connection and Laura from I’m an Organizing Junkie brought us up to date with the latest in online business development. Authors Karen Shinn and Gail Shields launched their new book GO! The Essential Guide to Organizing and Moving.
Having filled up my brain and note book with enough ideas to keep me planning for centuries, the conference finished off with a powerful presentation on The Courage to Succeed by Tanya Chernova and Joanna Andros of Courageous Living. They challenged the audience to step right out of the box, break the old neuro-receptor patterns that lead us down predictable roads and start to form new thoughts around our ability to accomplish those goals we desire for ourselves or our businesses.
It’s a simple enough message but one which we often forget. When was the last time you took a courageous step to move your business forward? I did; I accepted the invitation to be a tip host on the Organizing Connection.
Archive for Office Organizing – Page 7
The Hallowe’en gools are around the corner and third quarter is history. And then there’s this thing called the global economy and those volatility indicators.
You can’t stop the Hallowe’en loot or make time stand still. November 1 will arrive this Saturday whether or not you have been tracking progess on your strategic goals this year. Nor do you have much control over the global economic factors which will play out for better or for worse.
But you do have control over tracking your progress on your business or personal goals. The good news is that if you haven’t started yet, you still have eight weeks to get your tracking systems in place. That bad news is that without concrete information about your progress in 2008, it will be pretty hard to set realistic goals for 2009.
Where are you at?
Do you have hot files in your office?
Hot files are the ones that either you are working on everyday because of their importance or contain the key To Do items because of their relevance.
Often when a hot file system has not been set up, people tend to keep the key files out on their desk. Eventually a whole bunch of files are on their desk and a few get moved to the credenza. Then there are a whole bunch on the credenza and a few get moved to the floor… you get the picture. You may be looking at that phenomena in your own office or that of your key director/manager. Try this strategy:
- Pick a separate colour file folder for your hot files. Pick a hot one that will grab your attention.
- Clear out of the things in/on and around your desk the key projects on which you are focussing.
- Find either a desk top file vertical file holder or pick one of the side drawers of your desk and empty it out.
- Put the files in the coloured folders and label them accordingly then file them in the spot you have chosen.
- This is the new home of your hot files and you will find them there, in prime real estate, each time you need them.
Are you feeling hemmed in when sitting at your desk?
Take a quick inventory of what’s on it: computer CPU, printer, screen, keyboard, telephone, several “In” piles, three projects in process (at least that’s what you can see well enough to count).
Move all the hardware off your desk. Do a quick sort of your In piles into four file folders: read, call, write, decide. Put them into a vertical file holder on your desk, to the left if you are right handed, (vice versa) with the labels facing toward you. Make sure the three projects are in some form of file holder and add them to the vertical file holder.
Take a quick inventory of what’s under it at your feet: computer CPU, printer, several pairs of shoes, gym bag, handbag, assorted brief cases or other business cases, recycling box.
Move the CPU and printer. Put the shoes, gym bag and any other clothes in the closet or in a bag hanging behing the door. Put the business cases in the closet. Use the recycling box for the sorting in the second paragraph above.
Enjoy your space.
For entrepreneurs, small business owners and those of us with home based businesses keeping work and personal life separate becomes a significant challenge. With only one filing cabinet, business and personal files have no choice but to co-habit. If your office is the corner of the family room, tax time may find you with receipts all over the dining room table while you sort, add and prepare for your annual tax submission. Even if you have a large corner office, you may find that there is some information that always gets handled from your office and therefore you keep those files stored at the office. When tax time is over, or the big project is complete, whichever is your reason for extending beyond your “office” boundaries, is it important to develop boundaries and borders that separate work life from personal life.
Working animals, such as sheep herding or seeing eye dogs, have defined cues that tell them when it is time to play and when it is time to work – the harness for example. Without these cues and without clear separation the animals become confused as when they are working and when they are just playing.
The same is true for the rest of us although thank goodness we don’t have to wear a harness to tell us when we are at work. Wtihout this clear distinction, however, our lives become imbalanced, productivity decreases and destress time disappears. Here are some tips for home based workers to help maintain boundaries and borders:
- Start by designating an office. No matter how small or large, ensure that the space is preserved for your business work space.
- Separate your files by using a different colour label or file folder for personal and business files. Ideally, use different file drawers.
- Schedule your time so you know when you are “on the clock” and “off the clock”. The timing of the work day is less important than the designation of the working hours.
- Use specific cues to tell you when you are at work. This could be a coffee mug that is reserved for work hours, a pair of shoes that you “go to work in”.
- If you are working on a big project that requires spilling onto “non office” home space, try designating a large basket to house the project work during non work hours rather than allowing it to takeover the living room completely.
Whether of not you have issues with paper, you probably have both paper clips and staplers in your house/office. Many people are in the habit of paper clipping sheets together because it is quick, easy, they wan’t the sheets together and may want to unclip them in the future.
Watch out for those paper clips adopting other documents. Use staples whenever possible over paper clips as the latter will often “clip” up another document that is not meant to be clipped to it. Most recycling opportunities will now take the staples with the documents.
If you are struggling with paper on your desk – or anywhere in your office – the biggest contributing factor may be that you are still storing your active work files horizontally rather than vertically.
Paper likes to be stored horizontally, it won’t argue with you. But you will end up with a lot of paper cuts, headaches and lost documents if you are housing files on your desk and credenza in piles. Everytime you go looking for something you have to sort through the whole pile because a document that is horizontal with something on top of it can not be identified. A file folder that is stacked horizontally in the middle of other folders is very hard to identify.
Instead, identify half a dozen files that represent the bulk of your day to day work. Organize the files vertically in a desk top file holder with the labels clearly identified. Using a file label on the file tab makes the label easier to read and easier to reuse. You might try using a specific coloured file folder for these half dozen or so files so that they can always be easily identified when lying around your office.
Sitting in their file holder either on your desk or credenza will make them easy to see, easy to access and reduce the need for sorting through lots of paper – paper cuts and bandages.
Colour can be a quick and easy way to help with your paper issues. Many clients complain to me that they can get paper into files initially but when they start using the files (projects, meeting agendas etc) the files pile up and the paper starts getting lost. Eventually their desk or credenza becomes a messy pile of files and paper and those familiar feelings of overwhelm and frustration creep in.
Despite our best attempts at limiting the number of documents that are printed, it seems that paper is here to stay – at least for the meantime. Try using coloured files to help with high level decision making, storage and retrieval of paper. For example, if you run a home based business, consider using one colour for personal files and another for business. In a corporate environement, consider one colour for project files and another for operational day to day activities. If your company uses manila folders for environmental reasons, use coloured file labels to help with storage and retrieval.
It is helpful to limit the number of colours and use colour for high level sorting. Too many colour choices can increase organizing challenges especially for individuals who are easily distracted or have difficulty focussing.
I am often told by clients that they can manage to keep one but not both of their information filing systems up to date. Either the paper files are comprehensive and up to date or the e-files are organized and up to date. Often clients find they can’t keep them both organized.
A good rule of thumb is to try and mirror your e-file structure to your paper file structure. Give your brain a break and make the sorting process as easy as possible for both electronic and paper files by using just one structure.
Then remember to schedule a regular if not frequent purge.
Are all your company policies in one room?
Are they all on one server?
Are they in one file cabinet/binder or e-folder?
Are they in one file?
Are they dated?
Are they current?
Do they share a similar format?
Do the employees know they exist?
Are thy accessible to all employees for reference?
Would anyone find them in a reasonable period of time?
Do they use them?
Could your employees direct a new employee to them for reference?
Does your company have an annual review date established for each policy?
Did you review them on/near that date?
