Organize your Office- Seven Solutions

1. Create a filing system with broad categories such as "Insurance" and then break those categories down further into sub-categories (i.e., car, life, medical), alphabetizing them along the way. Devote one file drawer to each category (if possible) and use a different color for each category.

2. Create a file index for you and anyone else needing to access your files. A file index is basically a user-friendly guide to where each file is located. So if you are looking for an insurance claim, the entry in your file index may look like this: (I call it my Bible-do not lose!)

Insurance Claims- Insurance (I-10)

3. To minimize interruptions of your own time and others, schedule a 5-minute meeting somewhere during the day with the people you most often need to speak with. This prevents the frequent knocking at your door you may experience! Let others know when you are available to meet with them, perhaps between 3-4 PM, for example. Ask your boss for 5 minutes of his/her time everyday to go over any questions you may have, eliminating the need for constant interruptions. (Tip-this works great with spouses also! No more, "Honey, can I just ask you to do this one thing?" Or calling him/her at the office to find out when to pick up the kids. Daily meetings are much appreciated by all!)

4. Resist the need to answer your phone every time it rings. Use your voice mail when you are working on something.

5. Prevent phone tag and wasted time on the phone. When returning phone calls, gather all the information you need BEFORE you make the call. See if there is another person who can answer your question, instead of having to wait around for a response.

6. Sort your incoming paper daily and decide what you need to do with each piece of paper. Set up a tickler file to corral these to-dos. A tickler is a 1-31 file with dividers for each day of the month and months of the year. So, if you have a memo with a phone number of someone you need to call back, put that paper in the tickler on a day you can return the call.

7. Use templates and forms anytime you can. So if people come into your office often to borrow something, instead of having them leave a note, keep a stack of "Borrowed Item Forms" for them to fill-in-the-blank and leave for you in a designated location.

Rebekah Slatkin is a professional organizer dedicated to getting people organized through hands-on decluttering sessions, teleconferencing, coaching, and her website http://www.best-organizing-products-supers tore.com Visit http://www.best-organizing-products-supers tore.com and subscribe to Organewz, her ezine dedicated to organized living and get organizing tips- free

---

Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......

There is a growing movement in the spiritual... Read More

Qualities of a Great Manager

In the call center environment we are often only as... Read More

Is Your Management Style Assisting or Hurting Your Business?

Many times business owners can have significant differences in management... Read More

Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success

From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and... Read More

Influencing Change - A Guide for Sellers, Coaches, and Supervisors

When people or groups make a decision to purchase something,... Read More

The Ins and Outs of Internal and External Relations

INTERNAL PUBLIC RELATIONS: Never overlook an opportunity to do internal... Read More

Is It Worth To Outsource? How One Can Outsource Wisely

Recent trends in software development market show that it is... Read More

Difficult Staff - It Pays To Get To Know Them Better

It's very easy for a business owner or manager to... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Reduce the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism

Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive

In his book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker pointed out... Read More

Its All In The Systems

Have you ever noticed french fries taste the same at... Read More

Travel the World - for Free!

I have been very fortunate to travel to several countries... Read More

Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!

We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although... Read More

Office Politics

Office politics! It's just another way of saying: "The employees... Read More

Virtual Assistance: A Money Saving Opportunity For Employers

What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant is a... Read More

Medical Malpractice: Three Myths That Cost Your Hospital Millions

What's the use?Nothing you do will hold down the cost... Read More

Overcoming the Document Tracking Challenge

"Where did it go? It was here yesterday. Wait. Here... Read More

A Renewed View of the Modern Business Culture

Life can sometimes be unexciting if not refreshed by the... Read More

Relationship Building - 5 Tips and 5 Questions

And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on... Read More

Inventory Management 101

Inventory management may seem complicated to some, but if one... Read More

Project Management - I Want It ALL

The knee-jerk response to prioritizing requirements is to mark everything... Read More

The Best Way to Keep Track of Meetings

How should you keep track of meetings?Have you ever wanted... Read More

Got A Meeting Planned? Ask This Question

Meetings ? they are a fact of our business lives.... Read More

To Thine Own Self Be True--Its Better for Business: What Arthur Andersen Would Say to His Company

As a child, you probably heard, "to thine own self... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Adapting Human Resource Functions

This article relates to the human resource functions competency, commonly... Read More

What One Thing?

A few weeks ago I asked my readers what the... Read More

Biometrics and ?Return On Investment?

At this time of tight budgets, the mantra of business... Read More

Help Your Employees Prepare for a Performance Appraisal

PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to... Read More

Leadership: Stoking The Success Train

Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception... Read More

Solve Problems Permanently - Ask WHY

As Albert Einstein said:-"The significant problems we face today, cannot... Read More

The Narcissist in the Workplace

To a narcissist-employer, the members of his "staff" are Secondary... Read More

Quality Staffing: Stop Placing the Wrong People in the Wrong Jobs

You can possibly teach a turkey to climb a tree... Read More

Team Motivation - Tough Enough to Care

Sir Alex Ferguson has just celebrated his 1000 game in... Read More