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Save Time by Organizing
your Office

By Sherry L. Dudgeon, Project Coordinator
Funding Exchange, Inc.

As a high school student, my very first job was as a secretary to a Plant Engineer at a seating company.  Mr. Van was also new to his job, having replaced someone who had worked 35 years in the position before retiring.  So at the ripe old age of sixteen, I was given the daunting job of organizing an office that had 35 years of “stuff” in it…much of which made no sense to my supervisor, let alone to me.

Mr. Van and I struggled through our office area for many months, but in the end…it paid off.  We became the most organized office in the company and after my high school career ended, I became secretary to the president of the company.  A large part of the reason I got the job was that I had proven I could jump in and organize any office.

I learned my skills with little formal training. It helps to be a naturally organized person and not clutter-susceptible, but anyone can get organized with a little help and a positive attitude. I found that I liked taking what some would consider clutter and chaos and creating an organized, easy-to-work-in atmosphere.   Every office presents a mental challenge for developing an efficient system that works.

Make a Plan First
Successful organization begins with a plan. The easiest way to create a plan is to ask yourself questions, that determine what you really want and need. Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What causes the biggest delays and frustration in the office?  (Leave people off the list.)
• What do you need to do in order to make your job/files/workspace useable 100% of the time? 
• What information do you need right at your fingertips because you use them regularly? 
• What items or documents won’t need to be used often, but will be needed a few times a year?
• What can be put into storage, and best of all…
• What can you throw away? 

Start by thinking about what you use most and NEED to have at hand… that’s where you’ll start.  Should  you begin by organizing files or organizing the office space? The entire task of organizing files and workspace can be overwhelming, so as you plan, you need to set up steps and work at it a step at a time. 

It’s important to recognize that any big organization job will require a significant amount of time up front, and carving out smaller amounts of time on specific tasks when needed or on a regular basis. To be successful, it may also require that you (and maybe others) change some habits that contributed to the disorganization.

Prioritize
What areas of the office are used most?  In those areas, what section is in most need of the attention? Is it the files that need to be organized (often that is the best place to begin), or is it the library, the reference materials, the publications, the mail system?  Decide what needs to be changed and list them by priority. Now you can move on to the next step.

Organizing Documents and Files
Most people think that organization begins on top of your desk…getting the right folders made and office items sorted… but I suggest we begin inside of any file cabinet and work outward. This approach allows you to understand what you are looking at and accurately decide what you need to keep, what you can put in storage boxes, and what you can throw away.  By looking at files and digging through them you learn about your organization.  

As you begin to organize your files, decide on a structure for your file cabinets.  Do you need to file by month or year? Or by the products your company sells? Or by (fill in the blank here for your organization)? Decide the major categories and subcategories and organize files into these first, then deal with the information in each file folder afterwards.

Inside the file, should documents be secured with metal prongs? Or would it be more convenient to have papers loose within the folder?

Documents within a file folder can be organized into two categories – one category fastened to the right side of the file and the other to the left side. In our office, we place contractual and financial information on the left side under the prongs, and the right side contains correspondence unrelated to the financials.  You may determine that two categories are not enough. If so, you may want to purchase folders that have additional dividers within them so you can create your categories.

Once you know what you need to organize your files, purchase the proper filing supplies: file folders (dividers, color coated, with prongs/without prongs), labels, prongs if needed, and pens or markers.

Know What to Throw Away
It’s important to have a strategy for deciding what’s important to keep and what you can safely throw away or store in a less accessible place. Check with your supervisor to see what documents may be needed long after the project ends, but be aware that some supervisors have ‘packrat’ tendencies and their advice may reflect their fear of throwing away something they’ll need down the road.

Here are some general guidelines to follow:

Accessible Long-Term Storage:  Here we’re referring to documents you may need to access two or three times a year. Store these documents by year in well-labeled banker’s boxes in a storage room, basement or garage.  Let’s organize the documents you’ll store in long-term storage by the recommended length of time to keep them:

Forever: Tax returns; general ledgers; payroll records; year-end statements; and retirement plan records.

Ten Years: Bank statements; cancelled checks; accounts payable and receivable records; leases; invoices to customers and from vendors; contracts.

Seven Years: Employee agreements; litigation records; expense reports and inventory information.

Three Years: Expired insurance policies; general correspondence, employee applications and benefit records.

Destroy  Now:  For maximum safety, shred any documents you do not keep. 

Once a project is completed, you can generally throw away memos, outdated forms, notes, lists and any duplicates. One exception to this would be correspondence related to a significant issue occurring on the project – keep all of this correspondence seven years in case of litigation.

Are any of the documents required to be stored by another person? For instance, financial statements are kept by your CPA or bookkeeper, so there’s no need for you to also store them – You can get a copy from the other person if you should ever need it. Throw these documents away.

Organizing Your Office Space

To organize your office space, start with your desk. Take a look at your desk and ask a few questions:

• What is it that is on your desk that you need to have at all times?  Is there anything you can file into a drawer?

• If you have reading/reference materials on your desk, can you store any on a bookshelf?

• Opt for electronic copies vs. hard copies of publications whenever you can.
• Do you need all of these reading/reference materials?  Can you do without some of them?
• Can you get any in audio form?

• Do you need to reorganize your desk so that things are closer at hand and more convenient? Look at your desktop and consider a few options:
• Position your desk so you can see people who approach your door.
• Place your computer directly in front of you if you want to discourage people from interrupting your work.
• Place items that you regularly use (i.e.  phone, fax, printer, clock, calendar, calculator, etc.) within reach and sight of your main work space.
• To minimize interruptions, avoid leaving spare chairs nearby.
• Keep your important papers close by. Store items that are not being used at the present time in file boxes or in cabinets, not at your desk.
• Have papers and materials needed for the task at hand on your desk.
• Establish a filing system, keeping current files in your desk filing drawer or small filing cabinet within reach.
• Be sure to have a labeled “IN” box and “OUT” box (In box should be on top if they’re stacked).
• Use a highlighter when you have incoming paperwork highlighting tasks, deadlines and important information and placing tasks into a folder system that helps you prioritize (urgent, follow up, research, due this week, etc.) which sits on your desktop.
• Most importantly, clean up your desk space at the end of the day, and prioritize your day for tomorrow.
• Are there papers on your desk that require action? Make notes, prioritize and place them in your prioritizing folder system on your desktop.
• Do things need to be filed? Then file them. It may help to establish a space/file for papers to file and make that the first duty of your day. 
• Take some time and look at those stacks of papers. Get out your sticky notes and put a number on the top of the paper that indicates how long you think it would take to complete the task. If it’s just 2-5 minutes, why not do some of those?
• If it’s a simple task, ask yourself why did you not just do it when it landed on your desk…what do you need to do to accomplish this task? Is something more needed before finishing this task? If so, what, and how long will that take you?
• Can you delegate this to your assistant or someone else?

• Are there things on your desk that don’t belong there?
• Do you have little gadgets, little trinkets that do not belong on your desk?
• Consider a shelf for mementos or hanging pictures on the wall.
• Make it a habit to put things back where they belong soon after you are done with them so that they do not become a permanent fixture on your desk.

• Do you have enough work space and/or storage space?
• Is your desk big enough?
• Do you have enough filing space or storage space?
• What can you do to acquire more workspace, storage space? (besides ask for the boss’s office!)

The five steps to lean files: sorting, straightening, sweeping, standardizing, and sustaining. You can immediately see how these concepts apply to office supplies — sort them, straighten them (organize), sweep them (clean them and the room), standardize them and sustain the system (maintain).

Organizing Your Calendar

If you own a smartphone or iPhone with a software-based calendar, you can synchronize your desk and phone calendars and contact lists.

Do you make changes to your calendar and contacts mostly from your phone or from your office computer?  It’s possible to “sync” both directions – computer to phone and phone to computer – but you may prefer to enter all calendar and contact changes on one device. Most sync programs can be set for the computer to override the phone information (or vice versa), which makes for a faster and less complicated sync process. I do this by writing down any date or data I want to keep, and input the changes when I return to my office. My spouse does it just the opposite –it’s just a matter of preference.

Microsoft Outlook (and many other calendaring programs) allow you to color code appointments. You can assign one color for personal appointments and one for work, or a different color to each person in the office, or any number of methods that work with your work and personal life. I like to use an assigned color for tentative appointments, then change them to another color in my system when they’re confirmed.

Recurring appointments can help you keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Click on “Recurrence” and choose the appropriate boxes for your event, and choose “No end” or “Indefinitely” for the duration. I like to program a reminder two weeks before a birthday if I will need to purchase and mail a gift.

Spend a little time playing with your calendar program. Most programs have convenient features that will simplify your life.

Keeping Organized

Once an area of your life is organized, you’ll want to keep it that way. Develop the habit of handling things once and putting them where they belong the first time you handle them. Items that need to go to another office should be set near the door, and make a habit of glancing to see if there’s anything “going that direction” when you leave -- and take it with you.  Little time- and step-saving tips can help you carve out more free time, and you’ll pick up ideas from your colleagues if you pay attention to how they organize their lives.

Be careful, though – you can get addicted to “getting organized” tips!