Organizing Your Workspace

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OrganizingYour Workspace

• Presented by

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Why Get Organized?

• Increase your free time for
• Family and friends
• Hobbies
• Traveling
• Reading
• Reduce your stress level
• Surveys indicate 25-40 of employees claim job
  is number one stressor
• Improve your chances for promotion
• Lose less stuff

Source Northwestern National Life, Families
and Work Institute, and National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
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Presentation Goals

• Identify 3 key causes of disorganization
• Provide hints on how to increase workspace size
  to help stay better organized

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Time Trivia

• How many hours / day do all Americans waste
  looking for lost items?
• A. 9 million
• B. 1 million
• C. 6 million
• D. 3 million

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Time Trivia

• How many hours per day do Americans waste looking
  for lost items ? (American Demographic Society)

• A. 9 million

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Time Trivia

• How many days per year does the average U.S.
  worker waste looking for lost items on a messy
  desk ?
• A. 10 days
• B. 15 days
• C. 42 days
• D. 30 days

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Time Trivia

• How many days per year does the average U.S.
  worker waste looking for lost items on a messy
  desk ? (Wall Street Journal)

• D. 30 days

Remember, youre not alone when it comes to
getting better organized!
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3 Key Causes of Disorganization

• Understanding causesis essential todeveloping
  organizational solutions

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3 Key Causes of Disorganization

• Workspace layout challenges
• Most common and easiest to fix
• External factors
• Remember, you can
  influence the outcome
• Psychological obstacles

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Workspace Layout Challenges

• No home for item
• Assign permanent home Triggers retrieval on
  auto-pilot
• Inconvenient storage
• Store items near point
  of use
• Keep frequently used
  items close at hand

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Workspace Layout Challenges

• Organizing system too complex
• Keep categories broad (2 file rule)
• Label files based on how you can best recall to
  retrieve
• Primary Association Model

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External Factors

• Unrealistic workload
• Prioritize tasks based on
  their importance and estimated completion time
• Create a task log record task and time for 1
  week
• Column 1 Completed tasks
• Column 2 Tasks needed to complete, but
  couldnt (estimate time to complete)

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External Factors

• Fast pace of work environment
• Learn to prioritize
• Schedule 60 of your day. Use other 40 for
  impromptu needs
• Limit your periodicals reading list (Top 3)
• Respond to e-mail/faxes at set times to reduce
  interruptions

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External Factors

• Limited space
• Purge periodically (at least 2x per year)
• 80 of filed documents are never used again
• Think outside the cube by using alternative
  area(s) in your workspace to store items

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Psychological Obstacles

• Unclear of goals and priorities
• Limit to most important 4-5 goals
• Divide goals into smaller, more manageable tasks
• Set deadline to complete
• Review frequently

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Psychological Obstacles

• Need for perfection
• Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from
  them
• Recognize organizing is an on-going process

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Questions to Ask Before Getting Organized

• Whats working?
• Whats not?
• What items are most essential?
• Whats causing
  the mess?
• Why do I want to
  get organized?

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Planning Your Attack Zone Planning
Method

• ID all activities associated with your job
• Telephone, filing, computer
  data entry, reference, etc.
• ID supplies/items associated with
  each activity
• ID placement areas for items relative to your
  main work area based on frequency of use

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Zone Planning Method Example

• ID activity answering the telephone
• ID the supplies used for this activity
• Phone
• Rolodex card file
• Message slips
• Pen/Pencil
• Phone book

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Zone Planning Method ExampleID Placement Area

• Phone
• Rolodex card file
• Message slips
• Pen/Pencil
• Phone book

• Desktop - on side opposite of your writing hand.
  If used frequently, set close to main work area
• Desktop next to phone
• Phone Director side vein
• Phone Director side vein
• Underneath Phone Director

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Start Organizing

• Sort items by activity area
• Throw away/donate what you dont need
• Give everything a single home
• Appropriate storage units will be key to staying
  organized
• Maintain by reviewing system at least two times
  per year.

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How Do You Stay Organized?

• Clear your desk DAILY
• Review and prioritize your to do list DAILY
• Handle over-commitments, delayed decisions, and
  interruptions DAILY (60/40 rule)

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Did You Know..

• Average desktop space is 800 square inches
  (40x20)
• More than half of that space is taken up by three
  items
• Average monitor is 144 square inches (12x12)
• Average desk phone is 80 square inches (8x10)
• Average letter tray is 180 square inches (15x12)
• The other half of the desk is usually cluttered
  with disorganized items
• Files
• Messages
• Articles
• Business Cards

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How Do I Expand My Workspace?

• TOOLS TO CLEAR YOUR DESKTOP
• Use Wall Space
• Hanging Wall Files
• Magnetic Pockets
• Hanging Coat Hook

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How Do I Expand My Workspace?

• TOOLS TO CLEAR YOUR DESKTOP
• Go Vertical
• Phone Director
• Computer Monitor Stand with letter tray
• Smart Sorter System
• Off Desk Shelf
• Mini Drawers

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How Do I Expand My Workspace?

• TOOLS TO CLEAR YOUR DESKTOP
• Use space under desk
• SimpliFile Fold N Roll Cart
• Clear Tote with Wheels
• Box Office File Keeper

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How Do I Expand My Workspace?

• TOOLS TO CLEAR YOUR DESKTOP
• Floor Space
• Hot File Floor Stand
• SimpliFile Letter/Legal Tote
• File Chest

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Other Helpful Hints

• Do not overstuff file drawers makes filing and
  retrieval difficult
• Use file storage bins to archive dated and
  infrequently used materials
• Subdivide files larger than 2 into smaller, more
  manageable files
• A project is only complete once it is put away
• Centralizing notes saves time.keep in a single
  place and same size paper

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Other Helpful Hints

• Keep frequently used items close at hand
• Use Rolodex brand card file for more than just
  business card archival lock combos, computer
  commands that are not easy to remember,
  passwords, etc.
• Color code files to more easily identify and
  retrieve

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Keys to Organizing

• ID YOUR MOTIVATION
• ANALYZE
• STRATEGIZE
• ATTACK

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Sources

• Cynthia Kyriazis, Organize it
• Julie Morgenstern, Organizing from the Inside Out
• Evonne Brown, That Organizer
• Janet Taylor, business know-how.com
• National Association of Professional Organizers
• Peggy Duncan, Get Organized Now