If a tidy house, leads to a tidy mind, then a tidy office leads to a productive one.
We spend so much time at work, that we have ample time to make a mess. By sticking to some simple rules, the clutter can become capability and a bit of effort soon becomes efficiency.
Less is More
The productivity and happiness coach, Dinah Sanders, has created a new “holiday” called Discardia. It is an attitude to work and life that encourages us to follow a more stream-lined and minimalistic approach. Remove anything from your workspace that isn’t directly relevant to your current project, and file away anything you don’t immediately need.
If everything has its place in your office, you will find this much easier to apply.
Communication is crucial
When we think of organisation we often overlook the importance of the things we can’t see.
It is vital that emails, voicemails, letters and all other correspondence are regularly checked and that all messages and notices are circulated effectively. This avoids missing important deadlines, potential leads and covering the same ground twice.
To Do or Not To Do
Keep a list. Simple as it may sound, list all tasks that need to be covered and separate them into categories and time-limits. Crossing the completed jobs off the list, tracks your progress and keeps you motivated.
Loose ends, Tight Beginnings
Dedicate the last fifteen minutes of each day to prepare for the following days work. After a long and tense shift at the office, it is often tempting to count down the final minutes and look forward to that deserved glass of wine at home or pint down the pub. By ensuring you have everything organised and ready for tomorrow, today, you will save both time and energy.
Have My People, Call Your People
Only hold meetings by appointment. To make the most of your working day, schedule your meetings and stick to them. Holding impromptu and improvised meetings, with no allocated time, will eat away at your day giving you less time for important tasks.
In Order Of Importance
Taking the time to carefully prioritise your tasks is time well spent. Rather than simply reacting to the most recent arrival in your inbox, it is important to decide what needs to be done and when.
Pointless Paper
Do I need really to print this? With effective use of carefully selected software you will not only save space, cut down costs, have searchable and shared information, you’ll save the odd tree in the process.
Perspective
Look at your office and workspace from your client’s perspective. If it appears professional to visitors, chances are you are operating at a much more organised level. There is something incredibly off putting to customers walking into an office in disarray.
Flitter = Time Litter
Get things out the way. It is so easy to fall into the trap of taking on too much and juggling several tasks at once. Multi-tasking is a desirable trait to look for in people, but biting off more than you can chew just leads to longer turnarounds and poorer quality of work.
The effort it takes to re-familiarise yourself with tasks each time you pick it up and put it down, is ineffectively managed use of time. Don’t flitter; get it done and dusted!
Family Circus
There used to be a cartoon strip by Bil Keane called Family Circus. There was a character called Billy and it would show the amount of walking and climbing he did in the way of a dotted line.
If Billy moved his filing cabinet, changed the layout of the desk arrangement and moved his recycling bin, he could have shaved hours of idle wasted time during his working week.
Hopefully these simple ideas will make an impact on the organisation of your office and improve the quality of your working life.
