Ramblings of a seeker: The Golden girls

Guess which golden girls is me? I 'll give you a clue, this golden girl is wearing yellow/green/golden and is kneeling in the first row but not quite!

It has been 30 odd years since I last went to school. Met about 60 of my batch mates last Saturday. I was late , very late , almost missed them ......... all because I failed to note the times and assumed we would be partying all day and all night..a false assumption for half decade ladies

Well anyway here is something you can do to avoid clutter and chaos: My desk area is much clearer since I adopted some of the suggestions ...you would think it was common sense but guess what, common sense is NOT common!

Quoted from : Order from Chaos
Author : Liz Davenport

The Physical Environment

Preorganizing

Creating a Vacuum

A vacuum means some extra space in drawers, bookcases, filing cabinets, and closets. People stop filing when files become jam-packed. Then a pile begins to grow on your desk and before you know it you are buried in stacks of papers.

Vacuum-creating Rules :

Don’t get bogged down. Box the old stuff and put it in a closet out of sight.
Get these supplies: Storage containers and several plastic boxes with lids.
Create these boxes: Label one “to-do now”, another “to-do later”, and a third “Archive”.
Clearly label what you archive with a dark marker and write in big bold letters.
Group like objects: Tax forms and legal documents, Memorabilia, Old Client Files
Throw away 95% of the old stuff. It’s a fact that 95% of everything you saved over the past six months may be considered trash. Keep only legal papers and documents.

Start at the End, not at the Beginning

Start with the oldest stuff and work towards the most recent stuff on your desk. Be sure to go through the closet that is scariest to open, first. The last place to clear is your desk.

Closet

Take everything out, and identify stuff by category as you go.

Label boxes . Keep those extra office supplies on a more convenient shelf, or use a box labeled “scratch paper”. Decide whether to toss, recycle or keep. If you must keep, put it in its proper category and labeled box. The least used items must be kept out of sight. Create as much empty space as you can.

Bookcase(s)

Empty the bookshelf, identifying categories again as you go. Decide whether to trash or recycle items. Keep only the current phone directory and reference books.

Filing cabinet(s )

If you have a filing system where you are able to find things, don’t change it. Avoid using A-Z filing systems because if you do not remember the name of the file you will have a difficult time looking for it. Use a more general system.

Create Drawer Categories. Have major categories. You can have “Clients”, “Projects”, “Reference Material”, “Contracts”, for instance. Never use the category “Miscellaneous”.

Create larger categories within each drawer.

The rule of thumb is if a file does not have more than 20 pieces of paper in it, then the title is too specific. In “household” you can have a category “car stuff” which holds the insurance, repairs, registration and anything to do with the car. The most recent paper goes in front.

Don’t ask “How should I file this?” but “How will I use this?”

The receipts for bills we pay can be filed in 12 folders, one for each month from January to December. When you have paid the bill, whether it be for the phone, your credit card or gas, just drop the receipt in the month you paid for.

Color code

Clients can be red. Administration can be blue. Finances may be green. Just use colored markers to highlight the labels in color so you don’t have to go out and buy a dozen colored folders.

Don’t be surprised at the amount of trash you are generating as you follow this process.

Computer files

Computer files and paper systems are handled in the same manner. Use the folders in your computer as you would your physical filing cabinet.

As you create new files, save them according to your new system. Trash old files as you go. Label a folder as Archive, Clients, Household, and within each folder there should be more folders.

Boxes under/around the desk .

Again, 95% of the stuff under your desk is trash.

Desk drawers . Dump out the entire drawer then place the items you deem worthy back into the appropriate drawer. Remember to group like items.

Having a “personal” drawer is a big help. This is where the purse, hairbrush, and candy go.

Now take a look around your office and feel the freedom from distractions gently come upon you. You must be feeling lighter already. Celebrate your newfound feeling of physical and emotional lightness!

Step 1: The Cockpit Office

Setting up

Anything used daily should be within hand’s reach.
Anything used on a weekly basis should be within arm’s reach.
Anything used monthly should be in the office.
Anything used less often should not be there.

Be back in a second

That second actually takes us 20 minutes on average before we get back to our desks to work.

In a regular office, you interrupt yourself by “getting a cup of coffee, going to the restroom, or having a cigarette”. If you have a home office, you have even more time-wasting opportunities. “Water the plant, put in another load of laundry, walk the dog”

You may also forget why you stood up to go get something, (scissors, a letterhead, a stamp) in the first place. This is why we need to have all our essential tools within easy reach to avoid self-interruptions. The trick is you do not have to leave your chair to go get it.

Office Layout

In a study done to identify the most productive office environment the following four components were noted:

A minimum space of 10 ft by 10 ft
A door you can close
A phone you can turn off
A minimum of 30 square feet of open desk space (meaning desk space with no computer, phone or lamp on it)

The most effective desk configuration is a U. At the bottom of the U, place your computer. One side of the U is for project work or tasks that take about one hour or so to complete. The other side of the U is for those crisis/interruptions that take minutes to complete such as faxing a letter, filling up a form or opening the mail. If you cannot have a U configuration, an L is the second-best layout, with the computer at the junction of the two arms. The third best layout is two parallel desks. The least efficient layout is a straight line.

Open desk space

Keep mementos to a minimum. You need room to work. This is the reason we head for the kitchen or dining table when it is cleared after a meal so we can do our projects at home.

Interruptions versus Concentration

Suggestions to improve productivity:

Close the door and mute the phone. Studies show that a project that would take an hour to complete if you are not interrupted takes about four hours to complete if you are.

Create a fake door. Hang a “Do not disturb” sign across the entrance of your cubicle so coworkers will honor it.

Forward your calls to someone else or unplug it. Use voice mail or answering machines.

Do project work in a quieter space like a conference room, an empty office or at home.

If your office allows you to wear headphones, play a CD or tape of waves to drown out surrounding noise and increase concentration.

Four “must-haves” for every Cockpit

A desktop file
An In box
A To-Read box
A To-File box

The desktop file contains current files used daily. These are projects your are working on at the moment, clients you are currently working with, references used daily, and repetitive tasks performed daily like fax and email. Current projects/clients, Frequently repeated tasks, directories you use everyday, and blank fax cover sheets should be in your desktop file.

The desktop file at home: (place near a huge trash can)