Organizing Your Office Space

Shari MillsSCKESC

Agenda

• Tips for an Organized Desk• Schedule your day according to FlyLady• Ergonomics at your desk• School Secretary Desk Signs• Bookmark Fun• Drawing

1. Stop staring at the piles and take action. Admit that your disorganized space is creating an environment you can’t work in very well.

2. Determine key areas. What needs organizing the most?

3. Get rid of pens and pencils you don’t use—throw away what doesn’t work and give away what does work but you don’t need.

Getting Started

4. Have a place for pocket stuff like keys, phone, etc. that goes in the same place each day.

5. Easy to access files. Without moving your chair or getting up, you should be able to grab an unused folder, label it and put it in your file cabinet.

a. Speaking of files, let’s talk about our filing systems.

Organized office (cont.)

b. Reduce before organizing. You should eliminate the unneccessary before organizing at all.c. Put the papers to file or cluttered files in

a pile to go through one at a time. If you can’t see yourself needing it in a couple of months, get rid of it by recyling or shredding. If you can’t toss it, route it to someone else.

d. File it if it is absolutely necessary and file it immediatley—no stacking.

Organized office (cont.)

e. Reduce your needs over time. Instead of keeping all those documents, consider scanning them and storing them electronically.f. Reduce incoming paper. Ask people

to send you documents digitally.g. Stop printing stuff.

Organized office (cont.)

6. Cleaning Supplies. Keeping an organized desk clean helps you maintain the organiztion.

7. Scratch Notepad. As you get phone calls, phone numbers, and other important information throughout the day, write them all down in one place.

8. Organize those cords and wires. It is easy to have half your desk covered with wires for various electronics.

Organized office (cont.)

Tip for all those cords

9. Take a look at those drawers. Once again, take everything out and decide what to keep and what not to keep.

10. How is your lighting? A bright work area seems to be easier to keep clean than a dark one.

11. Organize as you go. It is more efficient to stay organized as you work instead of trying to do it all at the end.

Organized office (cont.)

Start your day with a morning routine by FlyLady

• 1. On the way to work, start your transition to work mode. For fun, grab a flower from your garden for your desk.

• 2. When you get to work, get your coffee or water right away and get your day started.

• 3. Check your appointment schedule/meetings, gather items needed for them.

Start your day with a morning routine by FlyLady

• 4. Make calls and complete to do list.• 5. Now check your email.• 6. If you have a project that will take all day,

check your email at the top of each hour.• 7. Open regular mail.• 8. At around 10:00, take a small break and

breathe, do some stretching, and if possible, step outside for some fresh air.

End of Day Routine

• 1. Clear off your desk and straighten your top drawer.

• 2. Start a To Do list for tomorrow.• 3. Make a list of calls to make.• 4. Turn off computer and other appliances

(coffee pot, copy machines, etc.)• 5. Pack up your stuff to take home.

End of Day Routine (cont.)

• 6. Check your piles and put projects in order of priority for the morning.

• 7. Turn off lights.• 8. Leave your desk in wonderful shape to

welcome you in the morning.

1. Zone 1; Your files2. Zone 2; Desk Top, In box and Out box3. Zone 3; Left Desk drawers4. Zone 4; Right Desk drawers5. Zone 5; Credenza behind you or shelf

above your head.This may not work exactly for you, but adapt it for your workstation. Spend 15 minutes each day focusing on an area of your office.

The Zones

• Monday morning after you have done your morning routine, look at the week ahead and take a few minutes to prioritize your goals for the week.

• Tuesdays: Have lunch with a friend. Treat yourself to something a little special.

• Wednesdays: Is your Anti-procrastination Day. Tackle those jobs you have been putting off for a week.

Ideas for your Work Week

• Also on Wednesdays, get into the habit of sending a co-worker a little note.

• Thursday: Check your office supplies and place orders or gather them from the supply closet.

• On Fridays do your Weekly Office Blessing; Get things cleaned up so you can come in Monday to a nice workplace. Spend about 10 minutes tidying and about 5 minutes planning the next week.

Ideas for your Work Week (cont.)

Ideal Office Ergonomic Features

Workplace Tips

• Your telephone should be positioned within reach of your non-dominant hand.

• When working at the computer, overhead lighting should come from the side and not directly above the terminal.

• Tops of computer terminals should be at eye level.

Workplace Tips (cont.)

• Sitting posture while at your computer should be as follows: feet flat on floor, knees at 90 degree angle, back resting against back of chair with lumbar roll supporting spine, shoulders relaxed, elbows at 90 degree angle, and wrists in neutral position.

• Wrists should not be supported on edge of table, but can be supported on palms or on wrist supports.

Workplace Tips (cont.)

• Your ideal work chair should be stable, adjustable for height, and equipped with rollers, lumbar curve, curved front edge of seat, and five-pronged support base.

• Follow the 50-10 rule. For every 50 minutes you work sitting at your desk, take a 10 minute break. During your break, walk around, stretch, mingle with co-workers, etc.

Useful Office StretchesLet’s stand and try a few of

these together.

How about some of these? Just to give us a few laughs………

Some fun School Secretary Desk Signs

THE BRAIN IS A WONDERFUL ORGAN…..

It starts working the moment you get up and does not stop until you get to work!

MY DESK MAY BE CLUTTERED……

But my mind is empty!

ANSWERS PRICE LIST…..Answers………………………………2.00Answers (requiring thought).3.00Answers (correct)……………….4.00Intelligent answers without sarcasm……………………………..5.00

(Dumb looks are still free!)

I’D LIKE TO HELP YOU OUT……

Which way did you come in?

NOBODY NOTICES WHAT I DO AROUND HERE…..

Until I don’t do it!

NO COFFEE……No workee!

I WELCOME YOUR ADVICE AND CRITICISM…..

And always rush them through the proper channels!(One flush usually does it!)

YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO…….

That there is a woman in charge of every school in this country—and it ain’t the principal!!

A huge Thank you to all of you and your countless hours

you have devoted to the future of our country—our greatest

asset—our CHILDREN!!

• To show our appreciation, we thought it would be fun to make some pretty ribbon bookmarks.

Time for a………….

Drawing!!

Referenceswww.productivity501.comwww.any-book-in-print.comhttp://www.nismat.org/ptcor/ergohttp://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/desk-chaos-control/http://zenhabits.net/how-to-simplify-your-filing-system-or-why-stacking-just-doesnt-work/

Thank you! Have a wonderful day!

Shari MillsSCKESC