The holidays are over and that means it's almost the New Year! While some people are making resolutions to lose weight or be nicer or finally take that dream trip, why not make a resolution to make 2013 your most organized year yet? Throw off the clutter of 2012 and embrace the organization of 2013 with a few simple tips.
1. Organize your desk (obvious but important!)
For a lot of businesses, the holidays can be an extra busy time and this means there will be extra stuff all over your desk. Whether it's paperwork, files, sticky notes, or leave over holiday treats, your desk might be looking a little over burdened. And this lack of organization could affect your work in the New Year. So practice the motto of clean space, clean mind and clean up your cluttered desk. File folders and file holders easily clean up paperwork and notebooks keep memos away from easily lost sticky notes. I promise you'll feel much better about 2013 with a clean desk!
2. Add some "you" into your space
Speaking of your desk, there's nothing like a boring one to kill your motivation. Every time I do an Office Profile, one of the main features of the offices is that the workspaces where the design reflects the worker. Wouldn't you rather work in a place that makes you happy than a place that puts you to sleep? Replace the standard cork board with a cute bulletin or memo board, add a few unique pens or pencils to your pencil cup and give some life to your filing with fun file folders. You'll be much happier coming to work everyday when your space says something about you!
3. Establish a new schedule
A new year means making changes, and it can help you out at work. If you've gone through your day flying by the seat of your pants in 2012, set a new work schedule for yourself in 2013. I don't mean change what days you work, I mean how you work on those days. For instance, if you find yourself checking your email throughout the day while balancing other tasks, decide to clear your inbox right in the morning and only check for emergencies later on. If you find that you're tired after a 1 p.m. lunch, switch your lunch to noon to try and get your energy before the afternoon crash. By keeping yourself on schedule, your workday will be much more organized and productive.
4. Go digital
Welcome to 2013! Where phones talk to you and your computer sees more of you than your family. One way to stay organized and avoid unneeded clutter is to utilize these amazing tools. Keep contact information in a digital address book, use a program like Google Calendar to sync your work schedule, and even keep employee manuals and other important papers on the computer. This means that their are less things to keep track of on your desk and everything you need is right at your fingertips.
5. Get rid of the junk
While you're embracing technology, you can take the opportunity to get rid of some of the important things you've stock piled over the years. That note to call Jim back in October? That can be thrown away. The expense report from the 2010 conference? Scan it onto the computer and throw the physical paper away. Put anything else important into labeled folders (whether physically or digitally) and toss everything else. Can't move forward into the New Year if you're weighed down by previous years clutter.
Will you be more organized in 2013? Let me know in the comments below!
-Sayeh, The Office Stylist