11/ 19/ 2004
by Lena Basha
Take a look at your office desk. Could you find anything easily at the drop of a hat? Or would it take more than 10 minutes to find what you’re looking for?
“Disorganization can contribute to lost time, lost money, increased stress and a damaged reputation,” says Julie Bestry, owner of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Best Results Organizing ( http://www.juliebestry.com ), a professional organization firm. “You reap what you sow. The more organized you are, the less likely the negative connotations of being disorganized will fall upon you.”
Just spending as little as 15 minutes a day looking for something adds up to eight days a year of lost time. So whether your desk is slightly unorganized or a bona fide disaster zone, follow these tips to help organize your office:
1. Keep proximity in mind. “The more often you use something, the closer it should be to you,” says Bestry. Keep current files and information you consult constantly on your desk and at your fingertips. Use your desk drawers and remote cabinets for items used less often.
2. Step away from the supplies. Bestry also points to the sheer amount of office supplies many of her clients keep close by. “People will often fill their desk drawers with office supplies,” she says. “You don’t need nine Post-It stacks in your desk.” Bestry suggests keeping no more than two weeks worth of office supplies at your desk. Store the rest in a supply cabinet.
3. Put it away. “Putting things down is the downfall of your office space,” she says. “Don’t put things down, put them away.” Bestry says no more than one folder should be open on your desk at a time.
4. Check the expiration date. If you haven’t read a magazine or newsletter in three months, chances are you never will. “If it’s perennial, there will be another article in another three months,” says Bestry. The same applies to catalogs. If you’re not planning on ordering anything this week, toss it out. You’ll get another catalog in the mail.
Prime Parking
Sorting through all the papers on your desk is the easy part. Now where do you put it all? Enter Globe Weis EveryDay File Fast Sorters. “It’s a wonderful place to park loose papers that don’t necessarily live in their own file or folder,” says professional organizer Julie Bestry.
This file folder on steroids helps you to categorize loose papers day-by-day and month-to-month. Representing days of the month, the slots are perfect for storing reminders, registration forms, phone messages and other items you plan to address in the future.
Turn the page when you leave for the day. What you didn’t get to today, you can recategorize for tomorrow or some later date.
Cost: $22
To buy: Available at office product retailers everywhere
