Stress Less
Being organized can not only alleviate a lot of stress in your personal life, but it is extremely important in your work life. The less time you spend stressing about where everything is, the happier you will be, and you can give your best to everyone around you. One of the major breakdowns in all sorts of relationships stems from the chaos that disorganization causes. Getting organized can guide you to being prepared for and on time for appointments, work, and social gatherings. In reality, the person who is always late can be a huge drag and annoyance to everyone else’s’ day.Overwhelmed
Some people find it very difficult to be organized and when they look at everything that needs organizing, they cringe and walk away leaving it for another day. Of course, that day never comes. People often stress about the time it will take to get everything organized, but the reality is that the disorganization is robbing you of more time than it would take to get it all together once and for all. The great news is that with just a few minor organizational tips (that will have a major effect) you should be able to get organized sooner rather than later.Commitment
All you will need to do is make a commitment, have patience and spend a little bit of time to create some consistency in your life. Trust me, you will feel better knowing where everything is at, and looking at a clear format when organizing your home, office and daily tasks. When everything is organized, you will have extra time to do the things you enjoy.
Keep one spot for good
Losing keys, wallets and cell phones happens far more often than anyone would like to admit. A great way to avoid the stress this brings is by simply keeping a wall-mounted organizer, a table with a key bowl, a box or anything really near the front door to hold our essential daily items. It becomes easy to place items in your designated location when you walk through the front door as you come inside. The items will be there until you walk back out the next day, so you will no longer have to go on a hunt for the items you need. The amount of extra time it takes searching under the bed, behind the couch, in between the cushions and in the kids’ toy box for everything you need to get your day started can set you back quite a lot. We have all been there a time or two. Maybe some more than others. Those extra 10 minutes every morning add up quickly. By the end of the week, you’ll have wasted an entire hour or more of time.
Habits of becoming organized
Make it a habit, just like your morning cup of coffee. Once you have purposefully placed your daily essential items in their designated area by the front door a few times it will become a routine habit and there will be no more losing keys, wallets, phones or the documents that you need for the office. Organizing this small thing, can make the world of a difference in your daily life, and save you a ton of time in the long run. At the end of every day before you leave, clear off your desk putting everything away in its’ proper location. This will make your next day start off just right when you arrive at the office. Again, getting into the routine of this will eventually be a habit and just second nature.Be Purposeful
Every single space in your office should have a “name”. Keeping your mind purposeful with where things should be put will help to get your office to where you want it, and the way it works best for you. You should have a few places designated for different things. For example, your main work-space, your supply area, your filing cabinet(s), and an area for any equipment. Your desk should be your main work-space, where you keep your most frequently used items. Keeping items put away that you do not need regularly can help out a ton. Extra clutter can be a large distraction for many people and can decrease your overall productivity. Filing cabinets are a great place for work that is done, and always there for reference when needed. Keeping individual binders for current projects is a great way to keep things organized, and keep you on track to meet your deadlines. Once your projects are completed, it is helpful to move your documents to the filing cabinet right away.
Organized OfficeRearranging your office space
Stand back and look at your office layout. Is it a place that makes you feel motivated and ready to tackle your day? Or is it a place that makes you feel dread, overwhelmed and stressed out? It may be time to rearrange everything in your office to make it more functional.I’m so Busy
We are all so busy in our work days and personal lives that sometimes we tend to just throw stuff on our desks to deal with later. By the end of the week, we have a massive pile of work we didn’t get done taking up precious space. There may have been several things in these piles all week long that were needed, and deadlines for important work missed.
Get rid of “stuff”
Extra furniture can take up a lot of needed space sometimes. Less is more, and getting rid of the clutter in your office space will make you so much more productive. Your boss will notice your increased productivity, and you might even get that promotion you’ve been hoping for.Your Desk
As said before, it is always a great idea to keep things you use often on your desk, like your schedule, stapler, cell phone charger, your favorite pen and a pad of paper in an easy to reach location. This helps so you don’t have to get up and move to access them saving you time. You may want to put items you don’t use as often away to help eliminate the clutter and distractions around your work-space.Functionality
A desk that is functional for what you do is extremely helpful. Many desks have drawers for storage and even filing cabinets and shelving already built in. Having shelving to hold the extra items is a great way to stay organized. Cube shelves with labeled totes are a great start and are fairly inexpensive. If you choose to go with a cube shelf, organizing one tote with your extra paper supplies, like address labels, extra printer paper, card stock, etc.; another tote could hold your extra cords, one for pens, pencils and sticky notes, and don’t forget one to hold your healthy snacks!
Clean it up
If you have old coffee mugs, soda bottles/cans, old dead plants or any other unnecessary items sitting around, now is the time to get rid of them by donating or simply throw them out. Many people would likely agree that having a clean, organized and odor free office is something that is very appealing. One that anyone can enjoy, and be productive in. Having the messy, stinky office that has moldy coffee cups and old food bags sitting around is not good for your health. It’s also bad for your personal reputation and your business image.Using the filing system
If you work in an office, it is very likely that you have a filing cabinet that may be sitting in the corner of the room gathering up dust. Let’s be honest, you probably have never used it from the day you started work, which is why your office looks like a tornado went through it, and papers are everywhere. The thing is – these dusty cabinets are fantastic! They can help organize everything into categories for easy access. (okay, sarcasm aside…) You will no longer have to sit sifting through unlabeled folders and dealing with mountainous stacks of papers for an undetermined amount of time to find that one paper you need to send off to make your sale, or finalize a project.Keep up with it
Filing all of your paperwork in the cabinet regularly with the proper label will clean up your desk and organize all your paperwork for easier (and immediate) access to items when you need them. Another great tip is to color code your filing system. Every category should have its’ own color. Use green for financial statements, yellow for packing slips, etc. If you don’t like the filing cabinet, go paperless! Scan all your documents into the computer and use a digital file system. Not only is this great for our planet, it will eliminate a lot of the hassle to file in the cabinet and it is a sure way to keep your desk cleared off. Make sure you invest in a nice paper shredder and find a recycling service to take the scraps.
Keeping a schedule
Using a schedule with a to-do list is the best way to organize each week. It is especially helpful if you like organizing several weeks or months in advance. Every time you need to schedule something, you should try to immediately put it in your planner. Keeping your planner with you all the time will help to keep your schedule. We tend to say “I’ll write it down later”, but then we sometimes forget to do that. When we forget to write things down or put them in our planners, we sometimes miss our appointments and deadlines. If you always have your planner with you, you can see if you are free for whatever you need to schedule.Recommendations
A great recommendation would be using a digital planner on your smartphone or tablet. The greatest part about them is that most are completely free. We always have them with us, and they’re very easy to learn and use. You can even organize your digital planner with color coding in some apps. This will help you to know at first glance if you have a business meeting or a personal appointment. You can even select a color for your kid’s sporting events. Always make sure you have a backup when using a digital planner, as technology isn’t always 100%. Using a digital planner with an online cloud storage is a great option. Many email services offer a calendar application that will synchronize right on your smartphones’ calendar.
Organize with products
There are plenty of stores in West Michigan that sell office supplies. If you’re not a tech-savvy person, pick up a planner. There are many other great items to help keep your work-space clean and clutter-free. Many organizational tools are available locally or online for purchase. Simple things like a wall mounted key holder or a desktop document tray to keep important paperwork close. Pen holders, binders, and a whiteboard are great items we love using, and highly recommend.
Freedom from the stress
Following these few tips will help everyone to save time. It can also help keep you on track with organizing your life and tasks. The best part of all this… you’ll be on the right path to being stress-free.
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