Do you have stacks files piled up all over your office? Are you 
constantly rearranging project deadlines? Have you been passed 
over for promotions or projects when you knew you could do the 
job? Are you costing your company time and money because of 
misplaced files or documents? 

If your answer is "yes" then it's time to get organized.


The Cost of Being Disorganized

Being disorganized eats up time, which equals money. For example, 
if your secretary wastes precious time going through her work to 
get to her work, he or she can lose (conservatively) 30 minutes 
each day. If his/her salary annual salary is $30,000, the time 
wasted will cost your company about $1,500 in lost productivity. 
That translates into about 25 cents per minute. 

Or relate that to your salary: If you gross $90,000 each year, 
your time is worth 75 cents per minute. If you lose 30 minutes 
every day looking for your work, you'll cost your company $4,500 
per year in lost productivity. 

Disorganization also can undermine your company's credibility. 
In business, first impressions are important. A work environment 
that is poorly organized and cluttered, will project a negative 
image to your existing and potential customers. 


Tips Easy Ways to Get Organized

Realize that you didn't become disorganized overnight, and you 
won't undo it in a day. But here are some strategies to help 
you get started:  

Get a good desk.  This doesn't necessarily mean an expensive 
desk, but one that is right for your personal work habits, 
business activities and other daily needs. If you regularly refer 
to books, manuals or publications, a desk with an upright hutch 
would make sense. Or if you use a computer and have ample floor 
space, consider an L-shaped desk. You can keep your computer on 
one section and still have a large workspace on the other. This 
configuration allows you to avoid juggling two priorities on the 
same desktop. 

Mange your time better. One of the simplest ways to make better 
use of your time is to rethink how long tasks will actually take,
and schedule accordingly. Envision yourself completing a task 
from start to finish and what actions you must take. Until you 
get more accurate at estimating, add 25% to the time you think 
you'll need to complete a certain task. Another way to realize 
actual time is to time yourself while you do different things, 
such as paying bills, balancing the checkbook or going to the 
post office. You might be surprised to find out how long things 
actually take. Make notes on how long each task takes so you 
can remember to allow ample time. 

Throw away old papers. From mail to fax to advertisements and 
memos, paper is the largest contributor to clutter in an office 
environment. Many people accumulate paper clutter due to a fear 
of throwing away something important. However, 80 percent of the 
paper you save "just in case" is never needed again. And if it 
is, chances are you can recreate or get it from another source. 
Remember, your trashcan and your shredder are your friends. 

Make faster decisions. Clutter happens when you put off making 
decisions. Try to get into the habit of quickly deciding whether 
you should keep paper, mail and other items. The faster you can 
make confident decisions, the faster you'll keep things moving 
through your life, which prevents backlog. 


Here are some other simple tips for organizing your work 
environment:

· Have a master to-do list for each day at your desk.

· Pre-Sort your mail: "To-File," "To-Read," "To-Contact" 
  (write or call).

· Use a variety of containers to organize office supplies, 
  paper clips and pens.

· Use a variety of desktop organizers or trays to organize 
  papers that come across your desk.

· Color-coding your files makes it faster to find information.

· Sub-divide larger files with interior file folders.

· Return calls in batches, leaving specific messages and the 
  time you called if the person you're trying to reach isn't 
  available.

· Empty workspace of everything but the project you're working 
  on to cut down on distractions.

· At the end of each project or event, organize paperwork and 
  file or store it.

· Straighten desk at the end of the day and especially at the 
  end of the week so that you can start each morning with a 
  clear desk.