By Monica Ricci
BUSTING WORKPLACE CLUTTER Imagine meeting an attorney for the first time, whose office is a cluttered mess ? papers piled all over the desktop, mail and files scattered on the credenza, and an overloaded bookcase with stacks of books on top and on the floor. Regardless of the actual skill or reputation of that attorney, might your first impression be a negative one? Might your confidence in that attorney be lessened as well? In business, first impressions are important.
Clutter in the workplace ranges from merely annoying to nearly paralyzing and is always detrimental to productivity. A cluttered work environment also projects an unfavorable image to clients and associates. When the desktop becomes a storage place rather than a workspace, it?s time to reorganize! Several factors contribute to a disorganized workspace, but here are three ways to combat the saboteurs:
1.Get a good desk. This doesn?t mean an expensive desk. It means one that is right for you and meets your daily needs. Your personal work habits as well as your business activities will determine what style and size desk is appropriate for you. If you refer to books, manuals or publications regularly in your business, a desk with an upright hutch would make sense. You can keep the books you refer to daily in the hutch. They will be easily accessed, but up off your work space. If books don?t need to be right at hand, a separate bookcase will suffice and you can go without the hutch in favor of a larger flat workspace. If you use a computer (and these days, who doesn?t?) and you have ample floor space, consider an L-shaped desk. You can keep your computer on one section and still have a large workspace on the other. This configuration allows you to avoid juggling two priorities on the same desktop. Another great aspect about an L-shaped desk is the additional room you gain for desktop tools such as upright file holders, stacking trays, baskets, portable hanging files, and your phone. Don?t forget all the space on your walls. When you can?t build out, build up! Shelves are a fantastic way to display personal items, awards, and photos while keeping your work area clean and functional.
2.Improve your time management. When you don?t have a good handle on your time, you often end up in a rush to get things done and inevitably, you can?t make being organized a priority. Papers get tossed on the desk ?for now? and magazines get stacked on the chair or floor because you don?t have time to read them. One of the simplest ways to make better use of your time is to rethink how long tasks will actually take, and schedule accordingly. Visualize yourself completing a task from start to finish and what actions you must take. Until you get more accurate at estimating, add 25% to the time you think you?ll need to complete a certain task. Another way to realize actual time is to time Make notes on how long each task takes so you can remember to allow ample time. When running errands between business appointments, always allow for unexpected circumstances such as traffic or long lines.
3.Purge that paper! Many people accumulate paper clutter due to a fear of throwing away something important, or a concern that it may be needed later. The result is that they end up keeping everything and not being able to discern which things have present or future value and which can be safely discarded. The reality is that 80 percent of the paper saved ?just in case? is never needed again, and if it is, the chances are very good that it can be recreated or obtained from another source. From mail to fax to advertisements and memos, paper is the largest contributor to clutter in an office environment. In order to avoid a rapid build-up of paper, a regular paper maintenance system is a necessity in every office. Remember, your trashcan and your shredder are your friends.
4.Make Decisions Quicker. Clutter happens when you postpone decision-making. Try to get into the habit of making decisions rapidly on whether to keep paper, mail and other things. The faster you can make confident decisions, the faster you?ll keep things moving through your life, which prevents backlong.
Keep in mind is that getting organized is a process rather than an event, so don?t expect miracles overnight. You can speed the process along by hiring help, such as a professional organizer, who will work side by side with you and keep you focused. If you do plan on tackling the reorganizing project yourself, it?s possible to make a good amount of headway in a relatively short time if you have a game plan and some goals in mind before you start. Just start in one place and keep at it, and before long you?ll be amazed at the results you see.
Monica Ricci has been an organizing specialist since 1999, and her motivational presentations teach effective organizing and simplifying techniques for home and work. She also offers free email tips and ideas on how to make life simpler and more organized. Her topics include clutter control, paper management, time management, organizing space and procrastination.Contact Monica at 770-569-2642 or Monica@CatalystOrganizing.com.
Getting Organized Means More Than Having A Clean Desk
yourself while you do different things, such as paying bills, balancing the checkbook or going to the post office. You might be surprised to find out how long things actually take.
By Anonymous
Tempe, AZ March 16, 2004 -- Evolved Systems, Inc. (dba Supply and Service), provider of facility operations technology, announced today that C.H. Stone Plumbing of Los Angeles, CA has begun realizing the benefits of an online service desk.
C. H. Stone Plumbing Co., Inc. provides services to the industrial, commercial, institutional, manufacturing, medical and defense industry. The plumbing company has stood above the competition by provide exceptional customer service. C.H. Stone Plumbing has further extended their client support through softWrench™, their website and online service desk. Through C.H. Stone’s new website their key clients will have the ability to request, update and check progress on work requests through the internet providing yet another way for C.H. Stones clients to request work anywhere they have access to the internet.
“Supply and Service has exceeded our expectations of providing us with a web based request tool. They have also taken the IT management of these products off of our hands and made the implementation process quick and seamless. They understand our processes and needs and have definitely met our expectations,” said Timothy Brink, President of C.H. Stone Plumbing.
Three of C.H. Stone’s primary clients will start using softWrench at the end of March 2004. All requests whether called in or written down by a technician in the field will be entered into softWrench creating one place for all service request information. C.H. Stone will also be able to tie work through softWrench into their accounting application making billing more accurate and timely.
‘Our applications have helped our clients streamline their processes that saves them time, provides them with better reporting and reinforces or established best practices”, said Ted Ritter President of Supply and Service. ‘C.H. Stone will see return on investment quickly because of their dedication to the applications and the process.’
About Supply and Service
Since 1997, Supply and Service offers facility operations technology solutions benefiting building owners, property managers and service contractors. The company provides application hosting and long term support solutions for Maximo and softWrench™, the facility portal, which integrates work order management, move management, conference room scheduling, mobile suite, floor plans, and lease administration. Customers realize benefits in weeks rather than months and can quickly make sound decisions based on comprehensive reporting, trending, and cost savings. More information on Supply and Service can be found at www.supplyandservice.com.
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By BZ Riger-Hull
1. Hold the intention that the only three things aloud on your writing desk is a lamp, a small vase for flowers, and a photograph or two. That's it! When you get up from your desk put everything else away except those three things.
2. Sort your mail as soon as it comes in, then recycle, throw out, file, or respond. No piles and no promise to go through it later.
3. Spend ten minutes a day walking through your house with a large shopping bag. Grab at least three things from each room in the house that you can throw away.
4. Have a special reading box or basket- Sort through magazines or articles you want to read and tear out the articles you are interested in and recycle the rest of the magazine.
5. Make sure you sort your email so you never have more than 3-5 things in your in box at any one time.
6. Set up project files in Word to keep track of important things you are working on. Designate a separate file for each project or focus. You won't have to hunt for your information when you need it.
7. Shred unwanted office paper and use it for garden mulch, cat litter, or starting a nice crackling fire in the fireplace.
8. Learn to say NO. Or at least get in the habit of asking for a day to think the request over. This will clear out clutter from your schedule.
9. Make a rule that everything has a drawer, cabinet, basket, bin, or shelf it belongs on put nothing on the flat surfaces in your house.
10. Write down all of those things that are running around your brain nagging you. Sort them into three categories.
1. Things that will help me accomplish my goals that are Really important to me.
2. Things I think are urgent or burning.
3. Things I should do. Be honest and ruthless when you sort this list.
Stop doing everything that falls under # 3. Everything that falls under # 2 Delegate these to someone else or eliminate them all together. The # 1 items are the only things you want to spend your time working on.
BZ Riger-Hull is the Success Coach. She helps Business Professionals and Entrepreneurs create Success, Balance, and Wealth on their Own Terms. Read Excerpts from her book The Soul of Success, get tips and practical strategies for success from the Inspirit Newsletter subscribe, go to
http://www.in-spiros.com