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STICK TO THE
PLAN
- Consolidate your family, personal, and business
planners
- Consider rearranging your office for increased
space
- Choose a location to open mail and process paperwork
- Create a system for follow-up: binder with pockets,
accordion file, or index card in file box
- Make a list of office supplies you need and
post it on the supply closet door or on a clipboard
- Update planner pages or calendar system
- Color-code events on your calendar for quick
viewing with markers or stickers
SORT IT OUT
- Pull extra personal items from your office and
put them in a box outside your door
- Sort your mail and place in folders or in-boxes
as you open it: trash, file, pay, requires action
- Separate current files from archived ones, paid
from unpaid, etc.
- Sort active from nonactive files, reference
books, and office supplies
TOSS IT
- Remove broken, unused, archived, and personal
items from your office
- Purge old magazines and trade journals, replacing
with current ones
- Clean out your Rolodex
- Empty your email wastebasket
ORGANIZE IT
(finally!)
- Rearrange desk top for optimum use and minimum
distraction
- Create a "hot file" for your desktop
or drawer for work-in-progress
- Remove inactive materials from desk and bookcase,
box them up, and label for archiving
- Consider keeping only an article rather than
the entire magazine, then file it
- Organize desk drawers using purchased drawer
dividers or small stationery boxes
- Organize files in chronological and alphabetical
order
- File business cards in a small box with alphabetized
dividers, or scan into your computer
- Create "filters" and autorespond messages
for your email to save time
- Hang bulletin boards or dry erase boards on
the wall for easy planning
CLEAN IT UP
- Vacuum office floor
- Dust office equipment
- Wash coffee mug (!)
- Disinfect phone receiver with alcohol wipe
- Clean rollerball inside computer mouse
- Empty trash can
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
- Create new manila folders for files
- Label hanging files
- Establish one day a week for filing and processing
paperwork
- Use one planning system and stick with it for
two weeks
- Back up computer data on a regular basis
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- Congratulations!
You made it!
- Now
don't forget to take a snapshot and send your before & after
photo to: The
Entrepreneurial Parent, PO Box 320722, Fairfield, CT 06432
- Winner
of Photo Contest wins any item in our EP
Member Store
;-)
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- Did we leave something out?
Submit your best office
maintenance/clean-up tip and we'll publish it in EPnews AND on the Web site! Send your tip via
email to: [email protected]
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