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Organizing and Maintaining an Entrepreneurial Office

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There are lots of places an entrepreneur can work: Home, coffee-shop, co-working space, outside!

But for those who still opt to have a more traditional office set-up, keeping it organized can be a real pain!

Read on for some tips from Organizing Pro Amanda Wiss of Urban Clarity on how to keep that office in tip-top shape!

Stay on Top of Your Game with a Well-Maintained Office

To be on top of your game, you want an organized, well-maintained office – one that allows you to achieve clarity that it’s difficult to find in a chaotic space. Ready to boost your productivity? It’s as simple as these 5 steps.

Step 1: Edit the excess! Grab a huge black trash bag, a clear one for recycling, a third for shredding, and dig in. You’ll also need a donation box for items that don’t support you, but that someone else could enjoy. Those old marketing books you’ll never read? Into the donation pile. That ancient paperwork? Keep it if you need it for taxes, shred it if it’s confidential, or recycle.

During this phase you’ll want to evaluate everything. Plan to purge outdated computer and phone equipment, antique software manuals, broken furniture, random giveaways from trade shows, and anything else that’s not an inspiring reflection on your company. Since clutter is distracting and can kill your creativity, be ruthless! Eliminate whatever doesn’t support you in producing your best work. Your motto here: Have fun, keep it light, let it go.

Step 2: Archive the old stuff. If you need to hold onto client or tax files but don’t need to access them regularly, move them out of your active work space. Consider a closet down the hall, a basement or garage, or perhaps spring for off-site storage. Your sanity will thank you.

Step 3: Set up systems that support you. Your goal now is to organize what’s left based on frequency of use. The most valuable real estate should be allocated to items that contribute most to your productivity. Ideally, your desk will be practically empty, except for your computer and perhaps a pad and some pens – whatever you use daily. Things you use regularly – like current files and a subset of key office supplies – should be within arm’s reach. You want these to be convenient but not in your way. And things that you use rarely – like extra ink cartridges and printer paper – can be down the hall, or on shelves high above your work space.

Step 4: Maintain. Now that you’ve got your space in shape, it won’t magically stay that way. Plan to clear off your desk nightly, and schedule time to process your physical inbox at least weekly. Make a monthly or quarterly date with yourself to file and shred (or outsource that), and plan to archive your files yearly.

Step 5: Tweak as needed. Still frustrated that you’re missing that receipt or always running out of copy paper? Fine tune your system. Make sure you have dedicated homes for all your items. Decrease your frustration by labeling the spot something goes so others will know how to put it back. Perhaps you could benefit from a better inventory system for your office supplies, or invest in a better shredder. Whatever is holding you back from your vision of organization bliss, fix it.

Once you’ve implemented, it’s time to kick back at your newly organized space. Can’t you just feel your productivity soar?

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