Hints & Tips that will help YOU get organized in the office:
  • Post-it notes should become your new best friends. Once you review a paper and need to take action, stick on a Post-it note or flag with the action required. That way, the next time you pick up the paper, you'll know exactly what to do, and will not waste valuable time rereading.
  • If you find yourself running around in the morning in a mad rush to get ready consider saving time by preparing the night before. Select an outfit, charge the cell phone, and fill/set the coffee maker ahead of time to make life easier.
  • Get to know your prime real estate.  Keep items you use daily within arms reach.  Then work outward from there.  The items you use weekly should be store where you can get them without getting up from your chair.  The items you use less often can be stored where you'd have to get up to get them.
  • Avoid using paper clips when you are filing, it is easy for other unrelated papers to attach themselves.  Instead, staple papers together.
  • A great way to save time is to shop from home on your computer. Many online retailers keep your list available so you simply have to check off when you want to reorder. Groceries, books, gifts, office supplies, and drugstore items are just a few examples of items to purchase online in order to get back your valuable time.
  • Sensitive parts of documents, such as account numbers and other personal information should be safely destroyed.  Keep a small box where you can toss items that need to be destroyed.  Then make time to shred.  If you keep on top of the to-be-shredded pile, it will never take very long.
  • Shredding may be a task that you can delegate to someone else.  Can an older child take it on as a chore?  Can a babysitter shred for you as part of their routine?
  • Stay away from using bulletin boards, magnetic boards, or white-boards, unless they are for a specific purpose.  Hanging one up in the office without a specific purpose leads to them becoming a cluttered storage area for outdated items when they are not kept current.