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The Real Benefits To An Organized Home Office
By Liz Folger
"Now, where did I put that phone number? I remember writing it
on the back of an envelope, or was it a pad of paper?" Have you
ever had that conversation with yourself? I'm afraid I've said that
more times than I can remember.
I'm always saying that if I was just a tad bit more organized I
could sure be a lot more productive. So I decided to find an expert
on this subject to answer some of my organizing questions. I found
Janet Taylor, owner of Totally Organized, who lives for organization.
She agreed to take some time out of her busy day to answer a few
of my questions.
INTERVIEW
Liz: Janet, what are your top three organizing musts for
a home office?
Janet:
1) You must never eat lunch in your home office. Realize everyone
needs to take a break.
2) You must have an established set of rules for interruptions.
Set-up guidelines. My rule is if the door is closed, please knock
before entering.
3) You must clear your desk off at the end of your day. This will
eliminate that overwhelming feeling when you look at your desk first
thing in the morning. Also this will lessen the number of distractions.
Liz: Do you think a person can make more money if they are
more organized?
Janet: Yes, my motto is save time and money by getting organized.
Keeping track of leads that need a follow-up (more clients), staying
on top of details of a client's project (bigger projects), locating
important documents the first time you look for them, are just a
few of the benefits of getting organized which will result in more
money.
Liz: I love those organizing gadgets that I see all the
time. But do they really work? Do you have any you highly recommend?
Janet:
- A good filing cabinet -- one that will last and grow with the
business.
- A desk/writing surface -- so that you will have ample space
to be creative.
- A workstation/table for equipment -- an accessible place for
your computer, printer, fax machine, etc.
- A shredder -- to discard documents that have vital information.
- File boxes -- to store and organize information in car or for
vending.
- Letter Trays/Desktop Organizer -- to sort and organize papers
and mail that you need to keep visible.
Liz: One of the biggest hassles for a work-at-home Mom is
dealing with the phone and kids. Do you have any organizing solutions
for this problem?
Janet: Try and decide on a schedule that will be best suited
for you. For example, if you are a new Mom, maybe you can schedule
activities like phone calls and paperwork around the baby's sleep
time. Try to screen calls when you know the kids will want your
attention, then return and make calls when they are asleep. Let
people know that you are in a meeting or with clients between 3-4
on weekdays. No one has to know that you are picking the kids up
from school.
RESOURCES
Books
The Organized Executive: A Program
for Productivity: New Ways to Manage Time, Paper, People and the
Electronic Office By Stephanie Winston; Paperback
Getting Organized: The Easy Way
to Put Your Life in Order
by Stephanie Winston
Stephanie Winston's Best Organizing
Tips: Quick, Simple Ways to Get Organized and Get on With Your
Life by Stephanie Winston
Websites
The Get Organized News -- http://www.tgon.com/
Organizing Solutions -- http://www.wco.com/~dpmiller/
Organize Now -- http://www.organizenow.com/
Organizations
National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)
1033 LaPosada Dr., Suite 220
Austin TX 78752
(512) 454-8626
http://www.napo.net/
A great source of information. They not only have listings of people
who have made organizing a business, but others who've written books
on the subject of organizing all kinds of things, from home to office.
For more informaiton on Janet...Totally Organized can help you
save time and money with a variety of products and services they
offer their clients. For more information, contact Janet directly
at: (888)321-8263 TOrganized@aol.com
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