An office is just a space; another room with a few distinct pieces of furniture and equipment. Nonsense, an office is the lifeblood of a business or family. When the office is in chaos almost all the aspects of modern life or a business can be at risk. A disorganised office can cost you an enormous amount in wasted time, money, productivity and increased and unnecessary stress.

Whether corporate or family, an office houses the really important information that you or others must be able to find in almost an instant. So what are the Essentials of an Organised Office?Firstly, step back and look at the whole space. Look at the size of the room, the placement of doors and windows, the lighting, the existing furniture and equipment. What do you have to work with?

2.         Establish the purpose of your office space. Does it need to accommodate a number of functions? How many people need to share the space? If it is a home office, will it be used just for paper work or will it accommodate study, hobbies, business and home purposes.

3.         Establish Zones within the office – What needs to happen where. You will need an action or work zone, a technology area for the computer, printer, phone, modem etc. Where will you keep your reference materials? What will your filing system look like and where will you create storage?

4.         Look at the lay out and traffic flow in/through the area and the zones. Do you need to rearrange furniture, add shelving, or remove items that don’t belong?

5.         What tools do you have or need in each zone to make them work for their purpose. All that you need for each activity should be found in that zone.

6.         Don’t procrastinate; it’s easy not to start because you can’t decide where to start. Don’t worry, just start on the top of the pile. Process the new papers first.

7.          Use the SPACE formula to declutter and organise your office and files

· Sort – group like with like, categories will soon emerge

· Purge – set boundaries for the types of files you will keep. Eg. The last 4 electricity bills, last financial years statements, clients back 3 years. Check with your accountant or solicitor what documents may be required and shred or archive as appropriate. Purge regularly.

· Assign a Home – create a single permanent place for items to live. Set up a logical filing system for documents.

· Containerise – decide on the type of filing system you want. Lever arch, ring binders and suspension files are the most common. Make sure your archive boxes will withstand dust, pests, vermin and humidity.

· Evolve – your business and personal needs change over time. Regularly assess your office components and tweak along the way. Set aside regular tune ups such as end of financial or school year, every quarter or at least every 2 years.

8.         Make one decision about each piece of paper. Consider the 4 F’s

· Finish it – if it will only take 2 mins to complete, do it now

· Forward it – if you have done your bit or if responsibility belongs to someone else forward the paperwork out of your space

· File it – the biggest and hardest to control if not regularly scheduled to do. Set aside 15mins every week and file your paperwork appropriately. The more paperwork you process the more regular filing sessions are required.

· Fling it – the garbage can is your friend. Dispose of irrelevant material before it has a chance to clutter up your office.

9.         Set up your

· Action files. These should be close at hand and are your “to do” files requiring action. Only 4-6 files are needed. Label them with their purpose eg. “Bills to Pay”

· Reference files. Require no action and should be easily retrieved, most likely on a less than weekly basis.

· Archive files. These are infrequently used but may be required to keep. Mainly old reference files for tax or legal purposes and keepsakes. Label them well and store out of your office space if possible.

10.       Use a labelling system that means something to you. What comes to mind first is often the best label for a category. Just remember that the more other people that have to use the system the more generic your labels must be. Label where equipment is housed so that things are always returned to where they can easily be found the next time.

11.       Consider going vertical- step files work well for keeping action files on your desk but not lost in a pile. Lever arch files or ring binders can store multiple type of the same file eg bank accounts. Above desk shelving can keep important information or useful items close at hand.

In a wellorganised office people, tasks and paper should flow from in to out. Creating an uncluttered, purpose based system will ensure your home or business office is a true assest.
Cheers

Robyn