Alison Armitage is one of our clients and I thought it would be good for her to share some tips on dealing with the ‘Stuff’ that tends to fill up our offices.
De-clutter your work space – Alison’s Top 10 Tips.
Are you struggling under a mountain of paper work? Can never find that receipt when you need to? Or, do you just feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of ‘stuff’ you have to deal at work? Whether you work from home or in a more corporate environment, the state of your surroundings can have a massive impact on your productivity. So, if this sounds a bit like you (or even if it doesn’t – you can always file it away for the future!), read on to get Alison Armitage’s Top 10 Tips for dealing with your work space to make sure your environment is helping you flourish and perform; not dragging you down.
Tip 1
- For some, the paperless office may seem like a crazy, crazy dream! But you’d be surprised how many great tools there are to help you manage the amount of paper you shuffle. From i-phone apps to store your receipts and business cards(try Shoeboxed or Lemon for receipts; there are lots for business cards too – check out this site for more information http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/business-card-scanning-apps ) to scanners that will store vital receipts and other documents on your hard drive. Strive for a paper free(ish!) environment!
Tip 2
- Sort and deal with your mail every day. It’s easy to let it pile up, but the longer you leave it, the more daunting a task it becomes. Keep what you need and recycle/shred the rest. Everyday.
Tip 3
- Control your junk mail and opt out of receiving unsolicited post, by signing up to an opt out service: http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/
Tip 4
- Lots of utility companies and banks are encouraging us to receive statements and bills electronically. It saves them money and helps towards their ‘green’ targets. It helps you too. With your ‘paperless’ targets!
Tip 5
- Magazines, circulars and other interesting industry stuff often gets put in a pile marked ‘to read’. Somehow, they usually stay in that pile, are rarely read and are re-cycled at the end of the year when you finally give in and admit that there is no time. Well, make time. Flick through for articles of interest and scan them to your hard drive. You may not read them in-depth, but at least they are there for you to refer to. And some systems allow scans to be searchable, so you always have that info at your finger tips if needed for a tender, or just to look very knowledgeable in front of your clients!
Tip 6
- Better still; cancel those paper subscriptions and sign up to online versions of your favourites!
Tip 7
- We love white boards here at Armitage Home De-cluttered. They’re a great way of displaying your thoughts, ideas and other things that would usually end up on scraps of paper or post-its, prominently and neatly.
Tip 8
- There is always essential (note the word essential) paper work that will need to be kept in paper form. So, invest in a filing cabinet – and use it!
Tip 9
- Adopt a ‘one-in, one-out approach! If you buy a new appliance, get rid of the old one. You’d be amazed how many people’s offices look like an electronics consumables graveyard, because they couldn’t bring themselves to throw it away ‘just in case’!
Tip 10
- Deal with it now. If you can’t work out immediately what you need something for, where it will be filed or whether it will be scanned to your hard drive, shred it. Now. You’ll be astonished how clean your desk becomes!
Armitage Home Decluttered is the UK’S premier home de-cluttering expert. Alison’s based in the South West, and has been helping people just like you to de-clutter your homes, offices and lives since 2006. For an informal chat about how Alison can transform your office (or any of the rooms in your home!) and your life at the same time, call her on 0117 911 7556. www.armitage-homedecluttered.co.uk email: [email protected]. If on the other hand your IT is giving you problems get in touch with us at Dial A Geek.
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