Organizing your home business office Part 2 of 2

 You can have the most attractive, up-to-date office design available and still not be able to accomplish what you need to do unless you organize your office.

Office Functionality And Design

Do you need to contact a search and rescue team to find whatever it is you’re looking for in your office? Then it’s definitely time to roll up your sleeves and organize your office to ensure its functionality. An unorganized office can be a source of frustration if you’re trying to put your hands on correspondence, forms or invoices in a hurry. The clutter might ultimately lead to using the wrong forms or reordering supplies you don’t need. Organizing your business office can keep you from making potentially costly mistakes. If the task is overwhelming consider hiring a professional organizer, it will be well worth it and fast.

Clear the pathways – If the furniture in your office has become an obstacles move it in another area. You need to be able to walk around.

Keep all your relevant working materials in your work space – Having to walk into another room to retrieve a file is a serious waste of time.  

Clear your whole office desk – Decide what must use: your computer and phone obviously; then ask yourself, “Does it have to be on my office desk?” If it’s not something that makes your every day work easier, find another place for it. Have a wastepaper basket to clean up when you close up for the day.

Ensure you have enough filing cabinets for the amount of files you must keep in your office, legal size is the best.

Purchase enough hanging files and tabs for each business category and manila files holders for each subject within those categories. On your desk, use vertical file holders for current projects and stackable legal size trays (for your “inbox” and “outbox”). To organize your desk drawers use interlocking plastic containers ensuring they fits in tightly. They’ll help you keep your office desktop neat, ensuring items can only go back in a specific spot.

Update your equipment – If your computer needs a memory or hard drive upgrade, maybe it’s time to get rid of your old printer, fax machine and scanner and invest in a multifunction printer. Depending on its size, investing in a printer stand will keep it within a usable distance, freeing more desk space, and giving you some more shelf storage for accessories such as printer paper.

For additional room, an occasional table placed next to your desk will serve as an additional working area. Select one with the correct height so you can work at it without having to hunch over. Consider investing in a book shelf for your books and manuals.

In your daily agenda, plan 15 minutes at the end of your day to do your daily filing and stick to it to retrieve your information quickly.

If you have any other questions you would like answered, please call Marie Morrell at 613-936-6873 or email: [email protected]