Suggestions From a Professional Organizer for Creating a Productive Office Environment

By Stephanie Shalofsky

Let's face it - we're all busy. And the more we have to do, the more important it is to maximize our productivity and create a productive office environment. This is more than just having an organized desk or a filing system, important as those things are. According to Barbara Hemphill of the Productive Environment Institute, a productive environment is a setting in which everything around you supports who you are and who you want to be. In order to create a productive office environment, many professional organizers consider sharpening our organizational abilities and adapting good time management skills a must.

To begin, assess your objectives, which should be the basis for your daily and weekly to-do lists. With a finite number of hours in the day, it isn't possible to do everything that we might like to do, or sometimes even everything we need to do. Professional organizers advise sorting out the essential from the non-essential by applying the SMART methodology. When setting goals and objectives, make sure that they are SPECIFIC,MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, and TIMELY. Following this methodology, you can focus on those tasks which will yield definitive results which will ultimately make you more productive in your office.

When your objectives are clarified, there's a list of tasks that need to be addressed. The method you use to keep track of your tasks can vary from a written to-do list to a mobile app - use what works for you and your lifestyle. Regardless of the format you use, recognize that not every item on your to-do list is going to get done today, tomorrow or even this week. Here are some tips that professional organizers suggest for creating a better process for reminding yourself of what needs to be done.

1. Assess the importance of each task and determine if it requires more immediate attention or relates to a future project.


2. Accept the fact that not all tasks have an equal degree of importance.


3. Identify the top 2-3 tasks that should be completed during a given day and focus on them until they are completed.


4. Block out time on your calendar to work on specific projects.


5. Recognize that there are tasks on your list that you will never get to and plan to re-assess their importance at a later date or just cross them off the list.


6. Delegate tasks as appropriate.


7. Get into the habit of consolidating all of your to-do's in one master list. Create a system that is easy to use and preferably one that doesn't include Post-It notes!


8. Group like tasks together. For example, schedule a block of time to make/return all of your phone calls.

The tasks you take on can create lots of paper, e-mail and other data, meaning you can find yourself spending valuable time trying to locate a specific document or folder. This is where an effective filing system for paper and computer files is key to being able to create a more productive office environment. Here are some that a professional organizer would share for better managing paperwork:

1. Start by clearing all of the paper on your desk so that all that is left are those papers related to either new or ongoing tasks.


2. Sort the remaining papers into categories by the type of action required and create action files for each category. File all incoming paperwork in appropriate folders upon receipt.


3. Create a system for filing pending items. Papers related to specific event or project that requires an action in the future should be included in this file. A filing system modeled on the "tickler file" is a good tool for tracking this type of information.


4. Set up an in box so that new incoming materials don't get mixed in with the paperwork already on your desk.

Using e-mail efficiently is just as important as managing the flow of paper in your home or office. Some tips to manage your overflowing inbox:

1. Schedule time to check your e-mail. Depending on the volume of daily mail, you may need to check it 3-4 times during the day, but stick to these times.
2. Turn off message alerts so that incoming messages don't distract you from working on other tasks.
3. Open a message only when you are ready to act on it.
4. Read all e-mails from one sender prior to replying.
5. Create folders and move messages that need to be kept out of your in-box as quickly as possible.

Once you've adapted these suggestions into your daily routine, periodically reevaluate your productivity to make sure you're still on track. Celebrate your successes and identify areas where more work may be needed. Taking the time to establish methods to create a productive office environment will pay off as you accomplish tasks and achieve goals with greater efficiency.

Stephanie Shalofsky is a New York Professional Organizer and the founder of The Organizing Zone. Using her extensive project management experience and organizational abilities, Stephanie is dedicated to helping residential and business clients manage their paper and computer information, time and space so that they can be more productive.

The Organizing Zone's professional organizer can help your New York office improve with simple strategies that are often forgotten in today's 24/7, always connected workplace environment. These are the basics and not-so-basics of organizing your NYC calendar and task list that help you maximize the workday and focus on the essential tasks.

Call (917) 375-0631 or visit http://www.theorganizingzone.com today to discuss how you.

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