The Buzz Spring 2008

Environment Matters

I don't know about you, but my physical surroundings affect my mood and how efficient I am in completing tasks. Therefore, it is really important to me to create an office that I love to go to and work in for several hours.

The picture on the left is my former office. It served its purpose for a long time, but I had little or no horizontal space to spread out and do projects on. After searching for the perfect office furniture to no avail and mainly because I couldn't afford to buy any at this time, I decided to use what I had and just configure it in a different way.

I took off the hutch and put up a shelf above the desk that held the computer monitor, light, phone, and calendar. Instead of having the file cabinet next to my desk, I moved it to the left side and put another two-shelf cabinet where the files sat. I moved the harddrive tower onto a small table between the desk and printer stand with the computer speakers on top of the tower.

Behind me was another desk with a hutch that I had used in a previous career. I took off that hutch as well and gained more horizontal space and another desk behind me. I kept one unit which had drawers and a small cupboard and put it next to the second desk. From the dining room came a picture that looked perfect over the second desk and matched the wall colors better than it did in the dining room.

My leather easy chair is now in the corner of the room with a small table next to it for the clock radio. I have recreated a room that is now more functional and attractive than before. It has a touch of my personality in it. Even though I would love to have new furniture some day, for now I love my office space.

Recent Client Stories

I recently worked for a client who wanted me to train his admin to set up a new filing system for his business, buy supplies for the system, sort and purge items from all of the closets and storage areas, and give him suggestions for setting up a new storage area. We worked out a proposal first, I bought the needed supplies, and then went to work training his admin. I finished the job in one day. This story is unusual in that the client did not work with me, but gave me carte blanche to complete the project. I did have to ask him questions about what to keep and what to throw away.

If you have an area of your office that needs organizing and you don't want to take the time to do the organizing, contact me to set up an appointment to discuss your organizing needs. I customize my approach to your needs.

Products and Organizing Tips

I often come across organizing products that I think my clients might find useful. In this section you will find some products that I have used myself and others that I may come across, but haven't used. I will let you know which is which.

This first product is one I have not used, but saw in Entrepreneur Magazine in the April 2008 issue.

"A scanner for all the ins and outs of today's business. Just push the button on the new Kodak ScanMate Scanner and quickly organize your paper documents." Visit ScanMate to get organized with a free version of DYMO File software.

Organizing Tips—Spring Cleaning

Clean up your desk and the surrounding space.
File papers in the appropriate place.
Check your office supplies and replenish what is needed.
Empty your trash folder on your computer.

Feedback

I hope that you have enjoyed this first issue of The Buzz Newsletter. I would love to have your feedback. What did you like? What would you like to see added. Contact me with your feedback and receive a free "What is Your Organizational Style?" card. Don't forget to include your home address. It will not be given to anyone. Your style card will be mailed to you.