Creating Office System’s into 2010 Issue IV

“Small differences in your performance can lead to large differences in your results.”  Brian Tracy

A huge WELCOME to new subscribers and a big THANK YOU to my current subscribers.  I appreciate the opportunity to share 21st Century Office Productivity tips and ideas with you.  It is truly my passion to help you be more productive and organized so you can focus on what matters most.  

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and gearing up for a Happy & Prosperous New Year!

A filing system is to an organization what a ‘foundation’ is to a building.  You can get away with a poorly constructed foundation for a while.  You can put a fancy building on top, and lavishly decorate the interior, but sooner or later the foundation will crumble and the building will fall.  Today, information is power.  If we don’t have the right information at the right time, we lose opportunities.  Therefore, if the filing system isn’t working, our company may fall–or at least falter.  Keep in mind that the value of an effective filing system is that you can retrieve information when you need it–it’s not just a place for storage.  The purpose of filing anything–paper or electronic–is to create a place to put the information so that you will be able to find it again–easily.  Bottom-line, think, “Where can I find this, “instead of “where can I put this?”
The following is Step 4 of creating an Office System. (If you would like to recap on Steps 1-3 please go to Archived Productivity Tips)

Creating an office system is a process and an art form.

Step 4.  The Magic 6:  Six tools every organized office needs.
We believe in order to be productive and stay organized in your office, you need the proper tools.  The following are what we call the Magic 6. 
1)  In, Out or File Box or Trays.  Use only 3 stack-able trays on your desktop to handle all incoming and outgoing items.
2)  Wastebasket, Recycle or Shredder.  Whether you use one or all three, make sure you have them close to perform the Art of Wastebasketry.
3)  Calendar.  Using a calendar to block out time for appointments, tasks & projects is vital in combating overwhelm.
4)  Contact Management.  If your a small to medium size business, having a contact management system either online (cloud computing) or software is very important to stay in touch with your clients and customers.
5)  Action Files (by Date, Action Type, Project or Topic) Action folders should be the only files close to your desk “your prime real estate” in your office for quick and easy retrieval of your “current” projects and tasks.
6)  Reference Files (Personal, Business, Archive) Reference material or documents you need or want to keep for longer periods of time, should be placed and located near your office desk or in a different location.
Step 5.  Next issue:  The Magic 6:  Tools 1 & 2 in detail.