Filing System
This is the “after” picture of the files. As you can see, we broke the files down into sections using colored hanging folders, and we even put the filing tabs in a straight row for each section. This makes locating and returning files much quicker, and eventually without much thought at all.
Perfectly Productive
Look at the dramatic difference in this after picture from our Messiest Desk Contest. Imagine how much more productive the client will be now that they are organized and not distracted by all of the visual clutter.
Just the facts, Jack.
When you think of being organized, you most likely think of a picture out of Better Homes & Gardens where everything looks perfect. Without a doubt the picture shows shelves lined perfectly with cute baskets or a desk with nothing on it. In all honesty, these pictures are not realistic. Being organized does NOT mean being perfect. Being organized means setting up your home or office to function more efficiently and effortlessly.
It's Hump Day
Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is a great day to review the goals and plans you had for this week (hopefully you jotted them down somewhere—and can find them) and see how you’re doing on them.
Increase Your Bottom Line
I have the priviledge of speaking to a networking group for small business owners this Thursday. I will be talking to them about how taking the time to get organized can increase their bottom line.
Answer the phone!
At Simplified Living Solutions, we get so many phone calls that it’s hard to keep up with them. If I had to pick the hardest park of owning and running this business, it would be trying to return all of the phone calls when time allows.
Planning will get you places
I’ve been spending alot of time working on next year’s budget, marketing strategies and business plan. To be honest, it’s a lot of work. Most of my fellow small business owners are doing the same thing.
Make a plan
If you take the time this morning to map out a plan for the week, you’ll be amazed at how much more productive you’ll be. It will only take you about 15 minutes. Think about what goals you want to (need to) accomplish this week. Then schedule or plan time in your calendar to get those things done. You will be the most successful if you tackle the toughest things first. It’s also good to plan a reward for yourself such as telling yourself after I work on this project for 2 hours, I will get my favorite coffee from Starbucks. Let me know how you do.
Mom's are human....it's OK
As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, I have the opportunity to chat and learn from other Professional Organizers all over the country. This recent post by Robin Harisis of Room Service Personal Organizing in New York really caught my attention. She was able to capture exactly what I try to share with Moms in such a perfect way. With her permission, I am copying it here.
Oops, I did it again...
I’ve talked about my problem with time clutter here many times before. It continues to be a challenge for me since my desire to help others is so strong, I forget to think about myself, and my own needs, when I accept commitments. Back in May, I cleared my schedule completely for 2 weeks while I took the time to map out the vision, or direction, for my life, family and business. After mapping out the vision, I had to remove things from my schedule that didn’t fit into that vision.
Organization Does Not Look Perfect
So many people ask me if my home looks perfect because I am a professional organizer. The answer is a resounding no. Being organized, and functioning efficiently, does not have to look perfect, it just has to work. The bottom line is that you take the time to assign a place for everything to live. That way you know where it goes when it comes in, and you know where to find it when you need it. Eventually it becomes second nature and you don’t have to even give it a thought. Getting organized reduces your stress, increases your productivity and gives you peace of mind to name just a few of the benefits.
Making it Work
Since there was enough stuff in my spice cabinet to really fill two spaces, I separated the spices from the flour, sugar, etc. After raising a couple of the shelves in the cabinet so that the larger spaces were on the bottom two shelves, rather than the top two like it had been before, I began returning items to the cabinet.
The Home
After determining your vision, sorting and then tossing your items, it’s time to determine where they should live based on their usage. I had an empty drawer in my kitchen that I hadn’t realized before. I shifted other items in my kitchen around so that the right size drawer was empty. I wanted to put my spices in a drawer so that I could make my vision for the spices a reality.
- I would be able to see the spices easily.
- I would be able to get anything out of the drawer I needed very quickly. And return the item to the drawer just as quickly.
- I could also reach in very quickly and get my Sweet & Low for my tea, rather than having to struggle with getting the box out of the cabinet each time I made a glass of tea.
The Toss
After establishing my vision for the spice cabinet and sorting the items, it was time to toss or consolidate items.
- Check expiration dates and toss expired items.
- Consolidate duplicate and triplicate items.
- Determine if you still need the items.
The Sort
Once I figured out what wasn’t working with the spice cabinet, and what my vision was for it, I took everything out of the cabinet. Needless to say, there were many duplicate items and even more triplicates of items than I want to admit. After grouping like items with like items, this is what I found:
- 2 bags of sugar – one 1/2 full, one 1/8 full
- 2 bottles of virgin olive oil – both pretty full
- 3 bottles of vanilla – two full, one missing about 4 tablespoons
- 3 jars of chicken bouillon cubes – two missing about 6 cubes each, one 1/2 full
- 2 lemon peppers – one 1/3 full, one had about a tablespoon
- 2 garlic salts – one 1/2 full, one full
- 2 garlic powder – both about 1/2 full
- 1 bag flour – 1/3 full
- 1 bag brown sugar – 1/4 full
- 1 container coffee
- 1 package coffee filters
- 3 seasoning salts – one full, one 1/2 full, one 1/4 full
- 2 peppers – large one 2/3 full, small one 2/3 full
- 2 salts – one full, one 1/8 full
- 2 paprikas – large one 2/3 full, small one full
- 2 cinammons – large on 1/2 full, small one 1/2 full
- Several other random items
The Vision
This spice cabinet in my home has not been working for a long time. It is crammed full of things, I can’t see what’s in there, and it’s a nightmare to get anything out of it. I’ve been putting off re-organizing this cabinet for so long because I didn’t want to stop and take time out of my busy schedule to do it. Saturday I tackled and conquered it.
The Tree
I bought my house 3 years ago. There are two trees in the front yard that have been growing very haphazardly the entire time I’ve lived there. They look very messy and unkept. I finally tackled the trees this weekend and trimmed out all of the branches that were growing between other branches, going in the wrong direction or were too low. When I was finished, both trees looked like they had taken on a new life and a new direction. Finally free of the cluttered branches that weren’t serving them, and were actually harming them, they will now be able to grow stronger and more healthy.
What is a hoarder?
That question will be addressed in depth on a new documentary show called Hoarders that debuts tonight on A&E. The show takes you inside the homes and lives of hoarders and discusses their struggles and challenges. The show also focuses on the ways that a Professional Organizer can help in these situations.
A little planning goes a long way
If you are a small business owner like me, chances are that you wear many different hats. You are the sales person, the marketing person, the administrative person, the research person and the person that goes out on the job. With so many tasks to manage, it is very important to plan your week, to allow time for you to work in the various roles. It is equally important to come up with systems and procedures of how and when you will execute each task.
Tips for a successful school year
There’s no denying it, every school year starts off the same; an overwhelming amount of paperwork is brought into your home from school within the first few days. If you make plans now for how you are going to deal with it, you’ll be amazed at how simple it is.
- Leave your schedule open. Don’t make any plans for the first week. You can count on making a trip to get school supplies you didn’t know they would need. You’ll need time to deal with the paperwork and to discuss school rules, etc with your children.
- Use one central calendar for everything. Take time within the first week to merge the various school schedules onto the central calendar, and then toss or recycle the individual schedules. These schedules might include sports, lunch, days off, picture days, etc.
- Prepare for the paperwork. Gather insurance cards, immunization records and emergency contact information before school begins. This way you’ll be prepared to complete the paperwork when it arrives and get it back to school.
- Designate a place for school papers to land. It’s important to have a central location where all of the paperwork that needs your attention will land each day. Make sure your children are aware of the plan and that they know what they need to do.
Tired of searching for electronic files?
When you stop to think about how much time you waste (lose) searching for things, and the amount of stress it causes, you will understand the value of taking the time to get things organized. You will gain back the time you spent getting organized in no time, and you will save lots more time and stress on top of that!
Want to be more productive at home?
Being more productive at home just takes planning. If you take the time to map out your day in advance, you will get so much more accomplished, and you will have more time to spend doing the things you love to do.
Want to be more productive at work?
If you want to be more productive at work, it takes planning. What do I mean by planning to be more productive? That means taking the time in advance to:
- Determine every task, paper or project that comes across your desk.
- Establishing a home for each task, paper or project. This is where it will live until you have the time to work on it.
- Do like things with like things. Make all of your phone calls at once, pay all of your bills at once, etc.
- Create a schedule for when the work will be done. Normally tackling the biggest project, or the thing you dread the most, first thing in the morning when your energy level is at it’s highest, is best.
- Combine tasks. Is there a way to get two things completed at the same time?
- Clear your desk at the end of each day so that when you return in the morning you will start your day feeling inspired and motivated, rather than overwhelmed.
Simplify your office, increase your productivity
If you are a small business owner like myself, you probably started your business because you love the work you do. Unfortunately, running a small business requires much more than just doing the thing you love. You have financial records to keep, marketing to create, clerical work, customer service and much more that steals your time.
Clutter Pitfalls
I hope you are enjoying your summer. With the extreme heat we’ve been having in St Louis, you may find yourself looking for things to do indoors. Our next e-newsletter focuses on clutter pitfalls and the simple strategies you can implement to overcome these common pitfalls. The next e-newsletter goes out tomorrow, so it’s not too late to sign up for it.
Silly little time saving tips
I must confess that I do so many little things to save myself time and aggravation that others may think are silly but I know they simplify my life. Why don’t you try a few and give me your feedback.
Increase productivity in the office
Taking the time up-front to get organized in the office results in a large number of benefits including increased productivity, reduced stress and more time to work on what really matters.
About the Author
Sue Anderson, CPO®, Owner of Simplified Living Solutions, is an expert in the professional organizing field, specializing in paper management and messy, unproductive desks, offices, home offices and filing systems.
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