Tips for Organizing Your Office

Whether you run a consulting business from your home office or work in a cubicle at a marketing company, keeping yourself organized is essential for you to do your job well. How well can you serve a client if you can't reference the notes from your last meeting because they're buried under a pile of other papers? How efficient can you be if you're constantly scrambling for a pen to jot down something on the calendar or take a phone message?

The following are a few tips to organize your office and help you work more efficiently.

Keep the Surface of Your Desk Clear

Removing clutter from the top of your desk can give you an almost immediate feeling of relief. When your work space is stacked high with papers, books, and file folders, it's hard to find space to, well, work, and may cause you anxiety. Clearing off your desk will give you room to use your laptop or desktop computer without fighting for elbow room, as well as give you an area to keep and easily access files or information you'll need for the day.

Use Desktop Organizers & Containers

Office organization goes well beyond getting a matching pen holder and document trays. With a plethora of container styles and colors available at your local office supply store, you can create an appealing, efficient work area that corrals all of your important office supplies and keeps them within easy reach, but out of sight. You could use containers to hold larger items, such as extra rolls of tape, binder clips, and highlighters, while a desktop organizer might have a few spaces to help you file in-progress papers or projects, store pens and Post-Its, and may even feature a few small drawers for miscellaneous items.

For files, purchase a few portable file storage containers or a filing cabinet. Depending on what type of work you do, you can devise a filing system that best meet your needs. For example, in a medical billing office, client files may be organized alphabetically or by patient number. You can further organize your files by color coding them, either by the color of the file itself, or with labels, paperclips, or other distinguishing features.

To organize your drawers, insert trays with dividers and use them to corral paperclips, tacks, elastics, batteries, gum, erasers, and other small items that you may need on a daily basis.

Organize Your Email Inbox

Just because your email doesn't pile up like paper on your desk, your inbox can still be cluttered. An unorganized inbox can cause distractions and you may waste time trying to search through communications to find that one specific email you're looking for. Instead, create folders in your inbox - whether by client, salesperson, or some other method - to file emails. Unread emails can stay in your inbox until you've read them and responded. If the email doesn't need to be filed, delete it and never worry about it again.

Straighten Up Your Desk at the End of Every Day

If you take a few minutes at the end of every business day to file papers and folders, put supplies in their rightful spots, and clear drinking cups and other food items, you'll come back to your desk the following day with a clean slate on which to begin working. Keep a canister of sanitary wipes on hand so you can quickly wipe the desk surface, keyboard, mouse, and desk top phone as needed.

Once you've gotten into the habit of keeping your desk and office organized, whether at home or at your job, you'll see that you are less distracted by clutter, and you'll get more work done in a more efficient and timely manner. In addition, this will not only help you work more efficiently, but it also can help you avoid health problems, too.

Relocating for a New Job

Congratulations! You got the job you applied for and were excited about. But, you'll have to relocate. This scenario is becoming more and more familiar, particularly as the nation still struggles to recover from the effects of the 2007-2009 recession. Relocating for employment can be a hassle, but with some careful, organized planning and a true desire to make this big change in your life, you can make sure that your move is as stress-free as possible.

Budget, Budget, Budget

Moving is not cheap, whether you're moving across the state or across the country. It's important to have a strong grasp on what you can afford to move before you begin scheduling movers, buying boxes, and packing things up. If you want to hire movers, call a few local moving companies for estimates and for clarification on things like whether they charge by the weight of your possessions (usually for long distance moves) or by the hour (typically for local moves). Find out what they charge for boxes, packing tape, cushioning pads, and other moving supplies, then compare the prices with those of other movers or retailers. Make sure the cost of moving works with your budget and available funds. If it doesn't, explore ways to cut costs, like renting a moving truck yourself and getting some friends to help pack it up.

And, don't forget: once you start your new job, you won't get your first paycheck right away, so you should plan to build up a stash of funds to help you through those first few weeks in your new location.

Finding a Place to Live

Some companies will help relocating employees find housing, or at least offer a temporary housing allowance, storage, and other assistance while transferees look for a permanent residence. If you're lucky enough to be employed by a company like that, then you may have an easy go of finding a place to live in your new location. If not, you should start your search for a new residence as soon as you can, as it can be a difficult process, particularly if you're moving across the country.

For starters, you should think about what type of area you'd like to live in once you've arrived at your new location. You may want to live closer to or right in the city if you enjoy walking to restaurants and bars, or prefer to ride your bike to work. If you have children, you may decide to choose a place to live based on the quality of the school system in that area. It's best if you or a proxy can visit a few homes or apartments before you sign on the dotted line. This way you'll know for sure that you're choosing a residence that meets your needs and the needs of your family.

Set up Mail Forwarding

The United States Postal Service (USPS) makes it easy to set up mail forwarding from your current address to your new one. You can schedule automatic mail forwarding for 15 days up to one year, so you'll have plenty of time to update your address with banks, creditors, magazines, friends, and family members. Plus, when you set up forwarding and change your address with the USPS, you'll receive a welcome kit filled with more than $500 worth of coupons (think Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) from their partners.

There are many more aspects to a successful relocation for a job, such as renting or selling your home if you're a homeowner, scheduling storage space if needed, properly packing your belongings, planning for unforeseen problems (e.g. the new home or apartment you're moving to isn't quite ready and you'll need to stay in and pay for a hotel for a few days), etc. Keeping yourself organized can make all the difference in the world, so plan accordingly and be prepared for anything.