Organized Habits » Office/Home Office

The Dreaded Filing System

Natalie Conrad — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:39:02 +0000

I recommend revamping your filing system, when you have time. Although this is not a high priority activity, revamping your file systems will help you save time in the long run. Many times we do not file things because:
o The drawer is jam packed with files and there’s no room.
o Once filed, you are not sure you can find it again.
o You don’t know what to name the file.
o The file cabinet itself is ancient and the drawers do not operate properly.
The first two bulleted points above are usually due to not purging your information on a regular basis. At least once a year or every six months, it is a good idea to go through your file drawers and eliminate those files that you have not used in the past 12 months. The exception to this would be any files that contain tax or legal information. There are rules for how long to retain that documentation. Ask your CPA or go to www.irs.gov for suggested guidelines. Once you get in the habit purging on a regular basis, the time it takes to purge your files is shortened considerably.
While some files may need to be kept, some of the information it holds can be purged or updated. For example, you do not need to keep all the prospectuses for your investment portfolio, or at work, there may be updated forms that replace some that you have in your file drawers.
As we add files to our file cabinet we oftentimes complicate the system by micromanaging the data. Think in terms of broad categories. In other words, keep it simple. The fewer the categories, the more success you will have in retrieving your information. When making the decision where to file papers, put like with like. Each piece of paper does not need its own file.
Lastly, if you file cabinet does not function properly then you are less likely to use it. If your file drawers stick or do not close well, consider purchasing a new file cabinet. Your time is certainly worth more than the cost of aggravation over some square box that holds your papers! Use hanging file folders whenever possible. They are a big help in moving files forward and backward to access the information therein. They also are a replacement, not in addition to, manila files. More on that later……

My Junk Drawer Makeover

Natalie Conrad — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:39:41 +0000

Yes, even professional organizers have junk drawers. We are not perfect… just recovering perfectionists! I do practice what I preach and to prove it here are the steps I took to organize my junk drawer. It’s rather elementary but I thought the photos would be interesting. And who knows, it just might motivate a few of you!

1. Before

This drawer is beneath my printer and has been a catch all place for office tools.

2. The Stuff

Here is what is in the drawer. The top half of the photo shows the essential office supplies. The cords at the bottom left were also essential. The rest… how did that get in there?!

3. Bonus tip

If you have cords that sometimes need to go with you, store them in a zipper pouch for easy transport. This pouch contains my cell phone and iPod chargers as well as a car adapter. When I am at the office they are in the desk, if I think I may need them, I just throw them in the bag that I am taking along.

4. The Configuration

For my drawer the six components fit like this. I love that there are many ways to configure the interlocking pieces to fit any drawer!

5. The Result – ahhh, organization!

Now I bet that’s what you thought my junk drawer would look like!

Do you have a junk drawer that needs organization? Rubbermaid has given me an extra set to give away. There are 2 ways to enter to win:

Post a photo of your junk drawer or a comment about it on my blog. OR
Sign up to receive my monthly ezine by registering at www.organizedhabits.com.

Do this before midnight on March 5th and a winner will be selected at random and notified by email. (So be sure to include your email if you post a comment.)

New drawer organizers from Rubbermaid

Natalie Conrad — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:11:32 +0000

Recently, I received some fabulous products made by Rubbermaid. this set of drawer organizers come in many shapes and sizes. There are many ways to configure them to fit virtually any drawer in your home. They have an interlocking “lip” on one side to hold onto the next organizer, so no more separations where things are likely to disappear in the cracks! They are black with a tan bottom. Some of their components are featured in this photo. I used four different size organizers in my desk drawer and it fit perfectly. Really a well made product with great flexibility. I highly recommend them.

Using these organizers I was motivated to clean out my junk drawer…. See my next post for a blow by blow of that project.

Organize Your Office Virtual Workshop

Natalie Conrad — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:10:00 +0000

Have you often thought that you could be more productive if only your office were better organized? Well, you are right! Here are a few statistics:

Americans waste 9,000,000 hours per day searching for misplaced items. American Demographics Society Magazine
The average desk worker has 36 hours of work on his or her desk and spends 3 hours per week sorting piles trying to find the project to work on next. The Overload Syndrome by Richard
The average United States executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files—this translates into one hour per day. The Wall Street Journal

Join me for Organize Your Office – Virtually!
In just 6 hours, you can finally get your office organized! Get those piles of paper and stacks of mail under control. You’ll learn the steps to get your office back in working order. Get more done every day, have time to make those extra sales calls, pay your bills on time, know where everything is and how to access it. Whether you are an employee, a small business owner, or just wanting to manage your home office – use this workshop to become more efficient and productive!

March 27th or March 30th!

Are your emails out of control?

Natalie Conrad — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Here are some tips for taking control of your email and managing email:

Set boundaries as to how often you will check email
Work from the top down using 4D’s (Delete, Do It, Delegate, Defer It)
The 4 D’s can be found in David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done”
Set up some file folders for your projects or committees
Create a separate email for ezines & sign ups
Schedule email maintenance days, to periodically clean up the in box

Click on this link to see and hear about these specific tips: Email
For quicktime: Email

Small Business File Organization and Filing Tips

Natalie Conrad — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:05:00 +0000

I spoke to a business associate of mine today and she made an interesting remark. She said that she hates to file. When I asked her why she started to say she didn’t have time, was afraid she’d never find it again, and that it wasn’t a priority. But she finally admitted. She didn’t like filing because she didn’t know how to do it. What a revelation! What an easy thing to fix!

If you can relate to my associate, click the link below and hear filing tips that may point you in the right direction:
Filing

For quicktime click here: http://brightfarm.com/bvi/20080109_FantasticFriday.mov

Did you know…... 80% of what we file, we never reference again?!!

First, there are 3 types of files: Action – Reference – Archive . Most people hate filing and I suspect it is because all of your files are grouped together and not separated by type.

Action files are those files that you reference all the time or at least weekly. They contain information that is needed to do your job or work at your desk. Therefore these should be the files that are located in the file drawer attached to your desk. If you do not have a file drawer in your desk, then these files should go in the file drawer closest to where you sit and work.

Reference files are files that you need to reference occasionally, usually monthly or annually. A good example is your auto insurance policy. It expires either annually or semi annually. Can you think of any other files that may be reference files at home or at work? Because these files are used less frequently, they can be housed in another file cabinet, located elsewhere in your office.

Archive files. These are the files that my clients rarely have segregated. Archive means that this information is being kept for retention purposes. This is information, like your tax returns, that you must keep for a specific period of time or indefinitely. These files can be boxed and labeled and stored outside your immediate office. File cabinets in the store room or garage are good locations for the archive documents.

It is also important to maintain your files. Set aside some time every 6 months to go through your file drawers and purge files and documents that are no longer needed. The first time you purge your files, it may be labor intensive since it has never been done before, but keep doing this every 6 months and its goes more quickly.

If you want to roll up your sleeves and organize your office, , go to my website and check out the Organize Your Office Day- virtually! On Jan 19th ……. Listen to the f*ree preview call on Jan. 12th to hear the format of the day and start your first assignment. To register for this f*ree call go to http://www.organizedhabits.eventbrite.com/.

The Bill Paying Center

Natalie Conrad — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 04:56:00 +0000

Keeping your financial paperwork organized will help with your budget and your peace of mind! First, it is important to have a central location for your monthly financial papers. This doesn’t always have to be at a desk, it can be created in the kitchen, it can be portable.

The key is that it is accessible and convenient.I like to recommend that my customers create a bill paying center. This can be a tray or basket on the desk, a file in the filing cabinet, or an accordion file that can be used in any space. In your bill paying center you will have monthly bills, checkbook, stamps, pens, envelopes, ATM and EFT receipts and any other items you need to use.

Additional bill paying tips:

when the mail arrives, put the bills in the bill pay center immediately
use a computer bill paying program (i.e. Quickbooks, Microsoft Money)
use bank autodrafts and online bill paying when possible
balance your checkbook monthly
organize your incoming bills with your paydays (i.e. pay on 1st .. 15th)
write out your bills on the eve of your payday
create a bill pay fact sheet (what paydays which bills are paid, which credit cards you are trying to pay off first, web page addresses for bill pay and banking, or any information that you can refer back to each month)

Having a bill paying center in place will help you streamline your monthly financial duties and save you time and money!