Organizing Your Office

Organizing!  Who has time to organize?  You don’t have time not to organize!  Most office managers spend between 15 minutes and 1 hour every day just looking for things.  Wouldn’t you love to be able to find what you want, when you want it, in 30 seconds or less?  Here are the most important tools you need to organize your work:

1.     Client files­­.  I have a file drawer on the right-hand side of my desk.  When I receive a signed letter of agreement, I immediately grab a manila folder and write the organization and date on the tab.  I file my current clients alphabetically by organization, with several files inside one Pendaflex hanging file.  Every time I get a new piece of information (e.g., tickets, rental car confirmation, program materials, questionnaire, etc.), I simply add it immediately to the proper file.  If I have something I need to work on related to a client, I write it on my to-do list and file the information, rather than keeping the paperwork spread out on my desk.

2.     Projects/Committees.  I have a step-file that holds manila folders in a way that allows you to see the name of each file, one above the other.  I don’t like stackable files or vertical files, because it’s harder to retrieve and add information.  Every time I start a new project, it gets a new folder.  Then you can add information directly to it, rather than creating little piles of paper on your desk.  For example, I currently have files titled: Book, Girl Scouts, MIC Committee, Newsletter Ideas, Postcard ideas, Receipts, Soccer club, Taxes 2002, VOE ideas, etc.  For larger projects, with many things happening at once (such as being the President of NSA/CO), I create a binder with tabbed sections.

3.     Idea file.  Do you tear out and keep articles and little scraps of paper on projects you may implement in the future?  I have another step-file on my credenza with manila folders dedicated solely to ideas: Book, Booklets, Business Issues, Consulting, Marketing, Presentations, Product, Publicity, Technology/Equipment, Vendors, and Website.  As I tear out or print out material related to my speaking career, I simply drop it into the appropriate idea file.  When the time comes for me to update my website, I just grab the folder and review all the great ideas I’ve captured in the past year. 

4.     ACT and Outlook.  I LOVE the newest versions of ACT (6.0) and MS Outlook, because they integrate seamlessly!  Meaning, when I go to write an email in Outlook, I click the “TO” button in an email message, my ACT database automatically appears.  I type the first name of the client and the last initial, and the name pops up in the list.  I select the name, type the message, and send as usual.  When I go over to that client’s record in ACT, my email text has automatically been placed in the Notes/History tab for that client.  No more manual copying and pasting!  Each day, I hit one button and pull up my calls I’ve scheduled for that day.

5.     Topical Information.  What about all those trade journal articles, magazine tidbits, Internet studies, and statistics you find that are handy for personnel issues, procedures, reference information, etc?  I have a paper system and an electronic system to handle these items.  Again, I use folders.  But now I use expandable Pendaflex folders in a filing cabinet to accommodate the more voluminous material I gather.  For example, I have folders marked, “Time Management,” “Information Overload,” “Life Balance,” “Stress Reduction,” etc.  I file hardcopy information here, generally from magazine articles that would be difficult to scan and convert into electronic format.  However, for information in electronic format, I didn’t want to create a hardcopy just to file it.  So I had my IT guy create an MS Access database for me that stores Publication, Title, Date, Page, Issue, Author, Keywords, and Abstract.  I use the same keywords that I have on my files, with additional search capability on the actual text.

6.     Tickler file.  The most difficult type of paper to organize is an item that you need to see again in the near future that doesn’t require any immediate action.  For most people, out of sight is out of mind, so you leave these “reminders” strewn across your desk.  The answer is a tickler file, which is a rotating calendar for paper that you access each day.  You use 43 hanging files, 31 labeled for a day of the month and 12 labeled with the months.  You hang it in your file drawer like a calendar, with the current month first and the current day next.  You ask yourself, “When do I need to see this again?” and file it in the corresponding file.  If it’s within 31 days, you file it in the folder marked with that date.  If it’s beyond 31 days, you file it in the monthly file.  Each day, you pull out the folder for that day and check it’s contents.  This is a great way to keep track of information you’re waiting for, directions to a meeting, delivery confirmation receipts, party invitations, bills due, etc.

For more detailed information on how to set up a tickler file; how to sort, process, and filter email; handling paperwork; setting up reference files, etc., please visit http://www.theproductivitypro.com/resources_articles_for_reprint.html. 

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(C) Copyright 2004 Laura Stack, MBA, CSP. 

"Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is "The Productivity Pro"® and the author of Leave the Office Earlier. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity.  Contact her at 303-471-7401 or Laura@TheProductivityPro.com."

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