Organize + Energize: 5 Things to do After You’ve Organized Your Office

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalPDX Organizing Expert

You’ve tackled the clutter in your office. You’ve gone through your entire desk, drawers and file cabinets. You may think you are finished with this project, but the work has just begun. Getting organized is a process; it’s not just about clearing a space once a month. Once you get organized, there is going to be a process of really thinking about how you function on a day-to-day basis and creating an efficient flow to your day.

Here are 5 things you need to do after you organize your office:

Get acclimated to your new space. Now that you are clutter-free and organized, take a step back and evaluate your space. Clutter may have been in the way before and you weren’t able to get a good feel of the room. Take a look at the furniture placement and décor. Re-arrange and repurpose what you have to create a better flow to your office. Office supplies may have been moved to different areas. Get a feel of your new space and take inventory of where things are now placed in the room.

Think about functionality. Now that you have new systems in place, think about how you want to function with these systems and develop daily routines. Think about how you grab items throughout the day. You want to be as efficient and productive as you can be and you want to be able to grab items in a moment’s notice and continue on with your day. Try not to fall back into your old habits. You are going to have to put some work into maintaining these new systems. Work at these routines every day and they will become habits.

Streamline processes. Do you perform the same tasks every day? How many steps does it take you to complete that task? Take each task that you perform on a daily or weekly basis. Talk yourself through the process of how you are functioning and try to cut those steps in half. There is always a simpler and more effective way to complete a task. Take the time to evaluate how you are functioning. You will be amazed at how much time you save.

Utilize a to-do list and a calendar. Get rid of the mental clutter. If you want to be efficient and effective, it’s crucial that you use a daily to-do list and a calendar. It will truly help you in this process. Choose a style that works for you. Everybody functions differently. I use a daily paper to-do list and it keeps me on track. Others like their electronic to-do lists. Be sure the one you choose helps you in your efficiency and doesn’t hamper it.

Re-evaluate your systems. After 1-3 months, check in with yourself. What’s working and what isn’t? What can you change to make the system work better for you? You will find that after working with the system for a few months there are some tweaks that need to be made. Make those changes. Don’t continue to work with a broken system.

Remember that just getting physically organized isn’t enough. Your end result is to become more efficient and productive. You aren’t going to get far if you are clearing off your desk once a month and working with broken systems. You have to put the time in to evaluate how you are functioning and streamlining your processes. Invest in yourself and make changes that will take your office to the next level!

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, is an organizing & efficiency expert. Kristin teaches her clients that living an organized lifestyle will save them time and money, decrease their stress levels and help them become more efficient and productive. Her articles have been published in local and national magazines. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to begin. She is also available for organizing workshops.