Organize + Energize: You’ve Organized Your Office. What’s Next?
Kristin MacRae, GoLocalProv Organizing Expert
Organize + Energize: You’ve Organized Your Office. What’s Next?
Here are 5 things you need to do after you organize your office:
Get acclimated to your new space. Now that you’re clutter-free and organized, take a step back and evaluate your space. Clutter may have been in the way before and you weren’t able to get a good feel of the room. Take a look at the furniture placement and décor. Re-arrange and repurpose what you have to create a better flow to your office. Office supplies may have been moved to different areas. Get a feel of your new space and take inventory of where things are now placed in the room.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThink about functionality. Now that you have new systems in place, think about how you want to function with these systems and develop daily routines. Think about how you grab items throughout the day. You want to be as efficient and productive as you can be and you want to be able to grab items in a moment’s notice and continue on with your day. Try not to fall back into your old habits. You’re going to have to put some work into maintaining these new systems. Work at these routines every day and they will become habits.
Streamline processes. Do you perform the same tasks every day? How many steps does it take you to complete that task? Take each task that you perform on a daily or weekly basis. Talk yourself through the process of how you’re functioning and try to cut those steps in half. There’s always a simpler and more effective way to complete a task. Take the time to evaluate how you’re functioning. You’ll be amazed at how much time you save.
Utilize a to-do list and a calendar. Get rid of the mental clutter. If you want to be efficient and effective, it’s crucial that you use a daily to-do list and a calendar. It will truly help you in this process. Choose a style that works for you. Everybody functions differently. Whether you use a paper or electronic to-do list, the system has to work for you. Be sure the one you choose helps you in your efficiency and doesn’t hamper it.
Re-evaluate your systems. After 1-3 months, check in with yourself. What’s working and what isn’t? What can you change to make the system work better for you? You’ll find that after working with the system for a few months there are some tweaks that need to be made. Make those changes. Don’t continue to work with a broken system.
Remember that just getting physically organized isn’t enough. Your end result is to become more efficient and productive. You aren’t going to get far if you’re clearing off your desk once a month and working with broken systems. You have to put the time in to evaluate how you’re functioning and streamlining your processes. Invest in yourself and make changes that will take your office to the next level!
5 Organizing Blunders
Not planning ahead
Getting organized is a process and you have to have a plan on how to conquer your project. You can’t tear apart an entire room all at once. You need to break the project down into small pieces. Plan to tackle your project in 3-hour increments. If you work longer than 3 hours at a time, you are setting yourself up for burnout. Plan ahead to try to avoid distractions and stay focused.
Click here for more tips on how to avoid distractions.
Purchasing the incorrect supplies
I know you are excited to get organized, but don’t rush out to the store and purchase products just because you like the way they look. Get organized first. Figure out what you need to contain, and then purchase your container to match the items you need it to hold.
Click here for more on choosing the right container.
Not letting others know about your system
Once you set up the organized system, you have to get everybody in your home on board. Show them the systems and how you are going to function with this system going forward. Label everything if you must, so everybody gets in the habit of putting items away. Remember, the simpler the system, the easier it’s going to be to maintain.
Need help creating those systems? Go here.
Not maximizing your space
Use every inch of space and use it well. Take everything out of the area you are organizing. You can’t get a clear visual of the space if it is filled with clutter. Shifting items around is not going to work.
Here are more tips on maximizing your space.
Repeatedly clearing spaces
You are creating more work for yourself if you continue to clear spaces once a month. Create a system and allow everything in your home to have its own place, and you will never have to clear a space again.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on Mondays at 8:30am on www.talkstreamradio.com.
