Don't Resolve to Organize Your Office in 2015
Resolve to organize your office in the remaining days of 2014! Two of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight and get organized.
Seeing how you’re here, chances are you have resolved or will resolve to organize that office once and for all. Once my clients decide to pick up the phone and call me, organizing their office takes only a fraction of the time they expected. What has been put off for years often takes just hours to accomplish.
It is not too late to completely transform the state of your office and make a new resolution in 2015! If time is tight, surely you can schedule in a few power-hours to set yourself up for finishing in the first weeks of the New Year. This plan is not a comprehensive one for every office, but will at least serve as an outline for those of you who just don’t know where do start.
This is how you’ll do it:
Plan A:
Today – Write down your vision for your office. What are 10 things you’ll do once you’re organized? Resist touching any piles until you do this!
2nd Week of December – Schedule at least 2 hours to just toss and recycle (it’s what you’d be doing with me anyway.)
3rd Week of December– Group like with like (receipts, statements, kids papers, house papers, etc.) Piles are just fine. Actually, a single pile of all things dated 2014 is a great start. Don’t think “organizing,” think “mindless clumping.”
4th Week of December – Drop your new categories into folders, labeling them with respective dates, account numbers, etc.
5th Week of December– Set yourself up for the New Year by creating a mirror image of step 4’s folders, but with 2015 dates.
1st Full Week of January– You’re off the hook! Plan a resolution such as learning Thai cooking or watching more indie films – anything other than organizing your office!
Plan B:
No time to do any of the above in December? Well, there are no excuses for not doing step 1, write down your vision. Do it. It only takes 5 minutes. As for the remaining steps, the plan will still work wonders on the other side of January 1st. Schedule each of those into your January calendar now.
Plan C:
I can show those stacks of paper who’s boss in no time. Hire a pro.
What part or parts of the plan are you committing to in 2015? Or, will you wait for 2016? If you’re planning to organize your office this year or next, what is your plan of attack? Please share in the comments!
Office Organizing Expert Kacy Paide loves to do what most people hate: organize offices & paper. She works with folks who are desperate for a more functional, more beautiful, more inspiring office. Kacy has been a Professional Organizer since 2001 and has worked with over 500 clients. Call her crazy, but she loves a good mess. Based in Silver Spring, MD Kacy is nationally available for consulting & speaking. Reach her at (202) 262-1207 and kacy@theinspiredoffice.com. Watch video lessons on office organizing here. Learn about Skype consults here. Receive your free list of 100 Ways to Organize Your Office at www.theinspiredoffice.com.
