Skip to main content
Category

Business Organizing

Sherry Recommends – Grand & Toy and OfficeMax

By Blog, Business Organizing, Home Office Organization, Home Organizing, IABO Weekly News, Organizing Paper Files, Resources, Uncategorized No Comments

Exclusive Savings on Office Supplies

for You and Your Company!

We have an exciting new program for you! Over the last few months I have been working closely with Grand & Toy and OfficeMax to put together a specialized pricing program that is exclusive to Simply Productive Members. This program entitles all Members to extended discounts on products from Grand & Toy and OfficeMax that fit your organizational needs.

Desk Organization: 5 Tips for an Uncluttered Desk

By Blog, Business Organizing, Home Office Organization, Organizing Paper Files No Comments

Desk Organization Tips to Clear Your Office Clutter

 

It’s the time of year again when we begin moving outdoors, taking in the crisp fresh air, and feeling a real sense of renewal!

 

And having your home and workspace organized helps immensely to welcome that wonderful freshness back into your life.

 

Check in with your Goals

 

Now is also the perfect time to assess where you’re standing with the commitments and goals you made to yourself in January.

 

Did you set out to be more active this year?

Be on time for meetings and stay ahead of deadlines?

Or maybe you set out to be better organized by finding great desk organization solutions?

 

Take a close look at your workspace and honestly answer these 3 questions:

 

  1. Where are the piles accumulating?
  2. What items don’t have a home?
  3. Is your Inbox on your computer overflowing with 100’s or even 1000’s of emails?
  4. Am I still in desperate need of office organization tips?

 

Your answers to these key questions will give you the clues for where you should start with these desk organization tips for your spring cleaning.

Why Wait to Spring Clean?

Welcome in the fresh air and get a head start this year
with our free Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist!

Download Here!

With these tips below, I recommend tackling one or two per day as to not overwhelm yourself right off the bat. It may start to feel really easy and freeing but remember to ration your energy so you can keep motivated and get your organizing done all week!

 

Most people only use 20 percent of what they have, 80 percent of the time. So with that in mind, let’s get moving and clear up your workspace!

 

Desk Organization Tips in 5 Easy Steps

 

Tip 1: Start with the Visible Piles First!

Period.

We can’t get to what we can’t even reach yet!

With our goal being to make a dramatic, visible result, we need to start with the visible things first.

 

Tip 2: Always Work in One Area at a Time

The goal here is to clear Command Central and create dramatic, visible results immediately. Starting with the top of your desk first.

What most desk organization tips won’t say is that people usually start with hidden piles in boxes or drawers, then after 2 hours they find themselves having not accomplished anything.

So to avoid this, grab 2 boxes and put every single piece of paper on your desk into box #1. Use box #2 for other desk things like pens, office supplies, books, and whatever else you have on your desk.

Now pick up the top piece of paper from box #1 and use the F.A.S.T. Principle™ – File it, Act on it, Schedule it, Toss it.

Handle each piece of paper in less than 60 seconds. Get rid of any decor items that you no longer love or that clutter up your desk.

 

Action Tip: Play your favourite music and set a timer for 1-2 hours.

 

Try to imagine when you walk into your office the next day. How will it feel to have a clear desk?

Likely like you’ve lifted 100 pounds off your shoulders!

Now let’s continue this desk organization process by tackling the piles on the floor using the F.A.S.T. Principle™.

Remember our time constraint for pieces of paper. There’s no time for lengthy evaluating here. The object of the game is to get this done as fast as possible.

Getting organized is a clarifying, cleansing way of connecting to what’s really important to you. You should enjoy the process and reward yourself along the way for all of your hard work!

 

Tip 3: Create Zones in Your Office

Action Tip: Beware of the hidden costs of clutter. It costs your time, money, and space to take care of the things you don’t use. Now play your favourite music, set a timer, and get down to work for a couple hours!

 

Think of your work area as having different activity zones. Consider how you move things across your desk, what items you use most frequently, and what relationships certain materials have with different desk activities.

 

Command Central zones could be:
  1. An In Tray for incoming mail
  2. An Out Tray for outgoing mail
  3. To-File Tray for papers to be filed
  4. Project file zone
  5. Reference file zone
  6. Resources zone

 

Action Tip: While advancing through these desk organization tips, group like activities or functions together, then label them and their areas for quick, easy access.

 

Tip 4: Conquer the Email Traffic Jam

Mismanaged incoming emails can become a significant drain on productivity. The more emails pile up, the less useful it is to the user and company.

On the other hand, an empty Inbox is a delight to look at!

It reminds us we are fully caught up.

Did you know that the real purpose of an Inbox is to serve as a temporary resting location for information and requested actions BEFORE they are read by you?

Our Inboxes are not a catch-all for everything we’ve ever received, and they’re also certainly not a replacement for our information filing systems.

Apply the F.A.S.T. Principle™ here with each email.

 

Tip 5: Organizing is a Process, NOT a Destination

Action Tip: Only keep what you love and currently use on a regular basis!

 

Congratulate yourself for taking action on these desk organization tips this week and for clearing off your desk!

You’ve made some serious changes and that is definitely something to be celebrated.

Do keep in mind though, that organizing is a continual process of re-evaluating. You still need to evaluate what your goals are, what activities you currently enjoy, and what you don’t enjoy anymore, then edit accordingly.

 

Continually ask yourself these questions:
  1. Does it work?
  2. Do I like it?
  3. Does it work for others?

 

Action Tip: Be willing to adjust your systems as your professional and personal lives evolve. Don’t worry about mistakes along the way, it’s just important to keep learning!
 

 

What desk organization tips were your favorite? Comment below!

 

 

 

 

Like this article?

You’ll love this one👇🏼

75 Creative Ways to Use A Label Maker

Task Batching: Choosing Your Planner

By Blog, Business Organizing, Quick Organizing Tips, Time Management No Comments

Task batching is easily one of the most overlooked productivity tools.

 

This is because when you batch tasks together and schedule blocks of time to do them, it actually takes you less time to complete them.

 

For example, checking your email throughout the day will waste your time far more than checking your Inbox during preset blocks. So will making phone calls throughout the day or week as opposed to scheduling regular times for follow-up calls.

 

Being intentional with your most productive hours is key to showing up as your best self at work, home, and in life.

 

This makes task batching the perfect first step to becoming the most organized person you know!

 

Let’s talk about Planner Options

 

Lots of highly organized people still use paper planners for task batching. Some use solely digital, and a rapidly growing number are opting for a hybrid combo of paper and digital planning systems.

 

While all three essentially do the same thing, there are some main differences.

 

PAPER PLANNERS are physical and tangible, which limits their use to being physically present. But at the same time they are also very hands-on, and this act of writing can be very helpful for one’s memory.

 

DIGITAL PLANNERS, being virtual and often set up with a personalized account, are easily accessed through almost any device and always available at your fingertips.

 

One very important point to think about is what types of visual and creative aspects you would like to have while task batching. Since this is a very personal preference, you will need to decide on this one for yourself!

 

But some other key things to consider when deciding which style of planner fits your needs are; accessibility, automations, data input, storage and backup, and customization.

 

Not sure which is a fit for your task batching needs?

 

See below for the detailed pros and cons:

 

vs.

Accessibility

Pros:

  • no batteries, power source, or internet connection
  • access anywhere at anytime, easier to refer to or add to in a pinch if not good with tech

Cons:

  • must carry around the physical book
  • limited to the physical location of the book

Pros:

  • only need a device with an internet connection
  • can share group projects or collaborative calendars
  • environmentally friendly

Cons:

  • requires a power source and internet connection
  • limited offline use
  • contributes to screen fatigue

Automation

Pros:

  • has page index
  • premade sections and title pages
  • page numbers for easy recall

Cons:

  • requires manual input and checking
  • cannot set alarms or reminders

Pros:

  • ability to set alarms and reminders
  • set reminders for others on a shared calendar

Cons:

  • may not be able to create the reminders you need or want

Data Input

Pros:

  • 42% more likely to reach a goal when you write it down
  • manual writing, for those who enjoy the pen-to-paper feel
  • writing by hand helps to process and remember information better
  • doesn’t require technical know-how

Cons:

  • limited space for writing, can quickly become cluttered
  • harder to recall information
  • not as easy to edit or correct
  • no tech skills required 

Pros:

  • easily input, edit, and update information
  • categorize and filter information
  • search bar for easier retrieval
  • let others set up appointments with you

Cons:

  • difficult to learn how to use
  • all planning systems are different, may have to try a few to find one you like
  • must like using apps and tech
  • must be okay with looking at small screens for different devices

Storage and Backup

Pros:

  • information is all in one location
  • can keep old planners for archives (only if needed, not to clutter)
  • have control of information, can restrict access and keep private

Cons:

  • not as easy to share with others
  • if lost or damaged, cannot be recovered

Pros:

  • calendars and data can be stored and backed up to cloud storage
  • easily shared and accessed by multiple people
  • control syncing, manual or automated

Cons:

  • risk of data loss
  • might not sync to some devices
  • hacking can compromise your privacy
  • technical errors

Customization

Pros:

  • can make drawings and take notes anywhere on page
  • purchase all kinds of customized planners
  • design your own planner online – cover design, layouts (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly), subject matter (academic, everyday, wellness, faith, etc.)

Cons:

  • designs and layouts can be limited
  • once printed, cannot change

Pros:

  • most systems offer a wide range of customization options
  • change templates, color schemes, fonts, and layouts

Cons:

  • learning curve for customizing in planner program
  • may not be able to customize in the ways you want

The #1 Tool I Recommend: Asana

 

There is one tool I highly recommend using for task batching (for 100% digital or a hybrid of paper and digital).

 

I use this amazing, all-in-one digital system both in my business and personal life. It has the capability to manage all of my client projects, work tasks, and keep my team up to date with everything in-between.

 

While it may look overwhelming at first, once you begin to catch on and understand the flow of the program it is very user-friendly. The best part is, 90% of the time I use it just on my phone!

Intended to be used alongside time blocking, task batching is when you group similar tasks together to complete in predetermined time slots.

 

Similar tasks can be similar in nature or just tasks from one project.

 

After you have figured out which tasks to batch together, you can begin scheduling them into your day using time blocks. A time block can be any length of time.

 

Once you’ve created an overview of everything you need to complete for the day, section your most productive hours into appropriately-sized time blocks for your batched task.

 

Then get to scheduling!

 

 

Are you new to and just learning about task batching, or a seasoned batch-making pro? Comment below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like this article?

You’ll love this one👇🏼

10 Ways To Stay Productive At Work Over the Holidays