Work It: How to Stay Organized at the Office

Last week we featured a Winning Workspaces article on our Facebook page that shared tips for organizing your desk and office space. We really loved what this piece had to say and felt it was only fair to follow up with our perspective on office organization, so read on for a few WOW-approved tips and tricks.

Two of the most common questions that potential and existing clients ask me are: ‘How do I organize my desk at work?’ and ‘How do I keep my desk organized?’. At the Well-Organized Woman, we believe that an organized work space encourages a productive work day, so my answer to these queries is almost always the same — take the time to establish and stick to organizational routines and layouts for yourself and your space. Spending a few extra minutes to organize your tasks and your desk before your day begins and as your day ends ensures that your time out of the office is spent on your personal life — the good stuff!

Evening Leave Work Routine: Take 5-10 minutes each night to complete an “office re-set”
-Clear desk of random paper and notes, and return items to their designated place
-Write to-do and to-call lists for the next day
-Check next day’s calendar for meetings
-Stair step work – Stack projects, folders and papers in the order you’ll need them for the following day 
- Send any emails that will generate responses/information you need to start working the next morning

The goal is to set up your workspace as a command center. When you arrive to the office the next day, you can sit right down and start the day’s tasks.

Morning Get to Work Routine: Make a game plan before you get in the game.
- FIRST, determine the top 3 must-do projects for today, everything else you complete is gravy
- THEN, answer any urgent emails. Some productivity experts suggest waiting at least an hour after waking up to check emails. You want to be awake and thoughtful when you respond to anything urgent.
- Tackle your to-do and to-call lists in chunks, attacking your hardest tasks first.
- Consider breaking your day into hour-long periods, each dedicated to a different sector of your to-do list. Often, one hour of dedicated time on a project can lead to more productive results.
- If meetings are taking up important work time, carve out an hour (or two) on your calendar where you cannot be booked. This ensures you’ll actually get to spend time on the work you need to complete.

Office and Workspace Organizing: A place for everything and everything in its place
- Office supplies – do not hoard them! Keep only what you need for day-to-day work.
- Create a desk layout according to your behaviors

-If you are right-handed, put your pencil cup on the right side, an arm’s length away.

-Push items you use regularly, but not daily, towards the back of the space

-Turn this layout into your desk template. Everything returns to its place when you are done using it or at the end of the day when completing your office re-set.

- Use vertical, hanging files for storage and loose, horizontal folders for actionable work that you can easily retrieve and stack on your desk.

- Only have the project folders you need that day out on your desk and label them with your project name.

Remember that the best laid plans do get derailed sometimes. If you feel your game plan is spinning out of control at any point in the day, STOP. Get up, and walk around the office or take a walk around the block. When you return, reorganize your space and get back to work. A mini re-set in your day can help you get your efforts back on track.Lastly, if these tips and tricks have your head spinning, start small and slow by adding one or two new behaviors every few days. You’ll be able to gauge what works best for you on your journey to productivity at work.

Good luck!
-TWOW

Recommended Books:
Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy