Tips for Organizing Your Office Rated:

There is more to working efficiently than buying the right financial software or business productivity tools. Whether you work at home or from an outside location, a tidy and well-organized office can be an asset to your productivity.

Here are some suggestions for where to start:

Make a master list

Some small business owners note down various appointments and commitments in a number of different locations, such as a planner and an electronic calendar.

However, many organizational experts stress the importance of combining all of these tools into one master list, so that you have a one-stop shop for all of your most important to-do items. Not only can this help you prioritize your most pressing commitments, but it reduces clutter.

Create a de-cluttering routine

A regular de-cluttering routine helps ensure that once you have organized your office, it will stay that way as long as possible.

Create a system to tame incoming documents, such as bills and correspondence. A good rule of thumb is to immediately shred or recycle anything you do not need and sort what you have to deal with, based on priority. Once you have acted on a document - such as paying a bill - you can file it away.

Additionally, you may want to consult with your accountant to find out how long you need to hold on to various data, such as bank statements, reports produced with your financial software, and pay stubs.

Develop a filing system

An effectively organized office contains a filing system for both paper and computer-based documents.

Paper documents.
When developing your system, think about how you will naturally be searching for information - will you look under a client's name? The project number? The date something was completed?

Some business owners find success by dividing their paper filing in two stages: short-term and long-term. For example, you could have a transitional monthly storage area that ensures the most recent documents are at your fingertips, and then move them into long-term storage - and out of your way - at the end of each month.

Electronic documents. Make sure you use a consistent naming system when saving a document to a folder. Select the most intuitive and specific names as possible, with the goal of being able to instantly tell what is in each file without opening it. Designate a specific time of the month or year for deleting unneeded folders and files.

Eliminate paper when possible

At first, it may seem necessary to print out that email or that report produced with your financial software. But one of the easiest ways to eliminate excess clutter from your office is to cut down on the number of paper documents you print.

If you do decide to forgo paper altogether, remember to regularly back up the electronic versions of your important files.

PDFs. Many of the documents that you think you have to print can instead be saved to a PDF in order to be more easily shared and stored for future reference.

Bookmarks. Instead of printing interesting web pages to read later, bookmark them. There are now some online mobile bookmarking services that allow you to save, manage and share your links in one centralized location - thereby further removing clutter from your computer desktop.

Scanners. To deal with existing mounds of paper, try using a scanner to capture the most important documents in electronic format - and then recycle the paper-based versions.

Electronic bills. If you haven't already, sign up for electronic billing for your bank accounts and credit cards. You can also use your financial software to help you keep track of your payment responsibilities.

Pare down your drawers

When you are dealing with a mess of papers, it can be tempting to just stuff them into a drawer to be dealt with in the future - but this approach is likely to take up more of your precious time down the line, as you search for the item you are looking for.

Before you break yourself of this habit, ensure you get a fresh start by sifting through all of your desk drawers and either recycling or filing each piece of paper you encounter.

Store lesser-used items

Do you really need to have that stapler, pen cup and paper clips in your line of vision? It's amazing how many of these so-called "necessities" are rarely used and simply take up space.

With clutter, out of sight often means out of mind - which can help simplify the organizational structure in your mind and ease stress. Keep items you do not use on a daily basis in a drawer or other storage space - you can retrieve them when you need them.
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Showing 1 - 3 of 4 Comments
Tiffany | July 02, 2009
Fabulous tips. I can't wait to get started. I know my business will benefit from this.
Donni | June 12, 2009
Good ideas. I'm going to try to incorporate some of them. Thanks.
Tina | June 11, 2009
great info! i enjoyed reading it and it was very helpful eventhough some of it is common sense one seems to get bogged down with clutter and then overwhelmed when it comes to clearing it1
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