Organize - From Chaos to Calm
The chaos in your office is so overwhelming that you want to run away and head to the beach! We've all been there.
How much time do we waste looking for that file, that scrap of paper, that "thing" that is holding us back from getting from "A-B," never mind "A-Z!"
Spin cycles are for washing machines NOT people.
I just finished an office project for a lovely woman who was feeling overwhelmed, out of control and totally frustrated because her home office was a disaster of papers, files, resources magazines, boxes and boxes of receipts, etc.
Behold! A desk with no
system at all. Underneath the desk were pretty boxes filled with papers, 2 filing systems, and odds and ends.
Step One: Bring in a long folding table and start sorting papers according to topic:
Step Two: Discard anything not relevant.
Step Three: Understand that the more boxes and surfaces you have, the more you will store and save, totally needlessly, and never look at again.
Receipts: Every store, brick or on line, has a record of your purchases. If you must, only keep receipts in a special envelope in one place for a month.
Taxes: You only need to keep these for 7 years and chances are your CPA has them on his computer. You can scan them and keep them on yours, as well.
Financial Statements: Everything is on line...and on your phone if you have the app.
Everything in its place: Teens and adult kids living at home should keep their papers in their own space. Yes, you can follow up on what needs to be done, but they should be responsible. If need be, make a note on your calendar 2 days before deadlines to make sure they took care of the issue.
Color coding files...again. Understandably, not everything can be scanned. But you can create a system that has every paper at your fingertips at a moment's notice. Underneath this clients desk now has only 2 filing mini-cabinets. One for job related information for clients, (yellow "pendaflex" with yellow file folders, labeled as to content, etc). The other for "leads...in red of course, and other professional information for her use.
Label everything: We not only labeled the file folders with the appropriate title, but we labeled the front of each file box with a "legend" so that she knows at a glance what color file to look into.
Separate location for personal papers: My client had one filing drawer in the desk that was reserved for personal and family information.
Repurpose empty boxes: When we moved onto other projects we used some of the pretty now empty boxes from her office for more effective storage elsewhere in the house.
Relief: I found a shredding company that would come to her home and shred the bags and bags and years and years of unnecessary paperwork and personal information right before her eyes.
My client's home office went from a chaotic room to a calming space. She can now work effectively, look around and see those things that reflect who she is neatly arranged on her book case. She said: I have finally found a space in which is my sanctuary, reflects me and will give me more time to spend on me.
Why not give a loved one, or yourself, the gift of organized space and more time ? Gift Certificates available.
Thank you in advance for "following my page" on FB (Organize Your Space ~ Organize Your Life) and sharing/liking my blogs on all your social media.
