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An organized and clean office is necessary for optimal productivity at work. The Wall Street Journal claims that an average executive wastes six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information due to messy desks and files. That can add up to a loss of 12.3% of earnings for managers making $75,000 a year. January is Get Organized Month, so what better time to take some action so you can stop wasting time? If a month is too overwhelming for you, just make a goal to take action for one day on National Clean Off Your Desk Day on January 12.

Here’s how to manage your office, organize your desktop and reduce stress so that you can better handle administrative tasks, which will help you become more productive.

1. Start with a plan. Look around your space and write down all of the areas that need to be put in order. Quickly prioritize the list to determine “the” area to start with. I highly suggest it is the top of your desk since you utilize this area the most. Visualize what the entire office looks like clean and clutter free, especially the area where you will start.

2. Gather up all the clutter from surfaces. Put everything — work papers, desktop tools, books, nick knacks, magazines, receipts, piles of loose business cards — in a box. Return coffee mugs to the kitchen. Dust and wipe down your desk, tables, chairs, bookshelves, etc. Clean your computer, keyboard, keyboard tray, mouse and monitor. Vacuum your office floor.

3. Sort through the box you filled in step 2 and decide what can be discarded or recycled. Go through all of your drawers and quickly (that is the key word) get rid of items you do not use or need. Be ruthless when doing this step. If you’re afraid you might throw something away that you’ll need later, save your trash for seven days. If you don’t need anything after one week, throw the bag out.

4. Establish “homes” for items. If you need more surface room on your desk put desktop tools such as staplers, pencil holders and tape dispensers in your desk drawer. Limit family photos to one or two. Put plants on the floor. Your aim is to reduce the visual clutter on your desk.

5. Since paper is the main problem in most offices, create a simple paper management system that will establish a flow for your papers. Use bins, hanging folders or stacking trays to create Action Files. Label them “In”, “Out”, “File”, “Read”, “Pay”, “Do” and “Pending”. Computer users should add “Enter”. If necessary, divide these categories even further. “Read” can be “Read-Urgent” and “Read-Important”. “Pay” can be “Pay-Business” and “Pay-Personal”.

Get the round file (wastebasket) ready!! Now sort the papers in your box from Step 2, a small pile at a time, until the box is empty. “Clutter is postponed decisions,” says Barbara Hemphill, author of Taming the Paper Tiger, so don’t skip this step. Open your file drawers and determine what files are no longer needed. Pull out inactive client folders and set them aside. Consolidate files when appropriate. Remove papers from unneeded files, recycle and place the folders back in your supply drawer.

6. Keep it clean. At the end of every week go through your office and scan for items that are out of place, items that can be thrown away and catch up on your filing. Dust your desk, table, office furniture, bookcase, computer, etc. and take dirty dishes and coffee cups to the kitchen at the end of every day. Visualize again your clean and clutter free office.

7. Reward yourself. All done? Good for you! Take a short break, fix a cup of soothing tea, take a short walk or read a book.

Getting organized and cleaning your office is easy with the right attitude and a plan. Your efforts will be rewarded with more productivity. The result will be an end to missed deadlines, lost information and loss of control. If these tasks feel overwhelming to you and you still can’t face cleaning and organizing alone, call or email us today. You can do this!!

(c) 2008 Debbie Gilster. If you would like to reprint this article, you may do so absolutely free. You may use the article as is or make minor changes so long as the byline is reprinted intact and all links are made live. A courtesy notice of reprint or excerpt is appreciated.

From The Huffington Post:

“I didn’t even know they still exist,” Eric Segal, owner, Security Business Solutions, responded when I asked a group of small business owners if they thought the U.S. Small Business Administration was fulfilling its mission of helping small business.

The U.S. Small Business Administration was founded to strengthen the overall economy by helping small businesses start and grow. Does the SBA actually do what it’s supposed to do?

Senator Olympia Snowe, (R-Maine) ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, recommending to President-Elect Obama that the position of the SBA Administrator be elevated to a cabinet level post so the voice of small business can be heard. In theory, Senator Snowe’s proposal seems to make sense. After all, it’s small business that will be the savior of our country’s economy. However, in practical terms, would a cabinet level post enhance the operations of the SBA and its effectiveness in helping small business?

Click here to read entire article.

Do you ever think about how your bedroom space affects your productivity each day?

Sometimes, a master suite ends up being the last space that gets organized in a home; after all, it’s just our bedroom right? It’s common for busy moms to put their needs at the bottom of the list of things to do. Why would your bedroom need to be a priority?

My advice moms is to move that bedroom up to the top of the list of things to do… you might be surprised to see how an organized bedroom will affect what you get done each day. A master bedroom should be a quite sanctuary that allows you to escape from the stressors of our day to day demands. It should be relaxing, calm and personal.

When your space is filled with piles of papers or includes a workspace, it’s virtually impossible to be able to get relaxed knowing all that “stuff” is right there next to you. You constantly feel the need to do “something else” rather than sleeping. Things like work or exercise equipment are the last things that should fill your bedroom space. Now, I completely understand the need to maximize space when you have a limited amount of space; however, I think the point I am trying to make, is that we need to examine how we are using the space and if it’s really being effective. Here are a few things to consider when establishing a master suite:

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Brandilyn Collins (best-selling author and overall awesome person) just shared on her blog about a mother and daughter that need our help:

In the last few days I’ve become aware of a sad situation in the lives of one of my loyal readers. Liz is a Christian mom and widow. Her daughter, Katy, is now 16. They live in the general area of San Jose, California. They’ve been teetering on the brink of poverty for some time now, and have just fallen over the edge into homelessness. They are living in their car.

Last night I received an email from Liz, telling me that Katy is blogging about their experience. Katy loves art, and the drawings on her blog are her own. Please visit her blog here and start from the beginning. (There aren’t too many posts yet; you can quickly catch up.) This is an unfortunate example of how the working class can fall into homelessness.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE and find updates on Brandilyn’s blog.

Kick off the New Year by starting the business you’ve been dreaming of – or improving your existing business! Customized Home-Business Coaching will be available beginning in January.

The CWAHM Coaching Program BEGINS JANUARY 12th!

I’d love to work with you!
If you have any further questions please email me, click here to learn more
or CLICK HERE to reserve your spot!

Now that the new year has arrived, everyone seems to be talking (or blogging) about their resolutions for the next 365 days. Some people are making resolutions not to make any more resolutions! I even read a blog post this week by someone who chooses a theme for each year, rather than makes resolutions.

No matter what you choose to call it, you’ve probably set at least a few goals for yourself this year. Your list might even look a little bit like mine:

• Lose 2 more jeans sizes so I can fit into my favorite pair again
• Take a trip to somewhere warm next winter
• Include more Science lessons in our homeschool program
• Make more profit  from my home business this year

It’s completely natural, and even healthy, to set goals and plans for yourself. After all, if you don’t know where you want to go, how will you ever know when you get there?  The tricky part is knowing which goals you should be setting for yourself.

How Do You Decide Which Goals to Set for Your Business?

It’s easy to get caught up in the goal-setting frenzy of the new year. “What are your business goals for 2009?” is the question of the hour. “Make them now or you won’t get anywhere this year!” You may have even heard the discouraging, “You should have set your goals for this year three months ago. It’s too late now!”
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