Hello AT,
I know that AT is for Apartment Therapy and not Office Therapy, but I am an avid reader of your site and I was hoping to get some ideas from readers for office organization.
I currently use a fairly functional system of filing past projects in file cabinets plus putting stacks of related papers on top of my desk and window ledge...
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I like this because it allows me to see exactly what projects I need to work on at any given time, but I don't like the way it looks. Any suggestions?
I would like to stay away from things that block the view from the desk to the two chairs across the desk. Other than that, I'm open to anything! Thanks for any ideas...
Hannah
Dear Hannah,
Of course, everything that works in the home also works in the office and because you spend more time in the office, you should be able to affect more change more quickly.
At the office, we like to keep our desk clear but also to keep ongoing projects somewhat visible just as you do, and we've found that a few things work well for us.
1. designate your desk as a "clear" space and keep it that way (quick clear it each day and give it a deep clearing - so it's totally clear - every Friday before leaving)
2. designate one other space as a "project" space and allow yourself to keep stacks of papers - in neat order - in that space. You might prefer some type of organizer for this, but we prefer just a simple stack on a clean surface. We are not fans of doodads.
3. Outside of these two areas, keep everything else tucked away in files. This means that you really have to decide which stacks are "hot" stacks (you can leave these out) and which are "coldish". The coldish ones you need to put away in files to get them out of your eyesight.
We find that a majority of our stacks are coldish and really could be filed without sacrificing comfort or efficiency. In essence, stacks are really just an avoidance or fear of the filing process (which no one likes to do), but your office will benefit if you do some regular filing and putting away (weekly is good). AND with files, you really will be able to find everything again.
Anyone else??
Are you going through all of those piles every day? Aside from hanging files (my preferred method for the majority of "piles"), I like the suggestion to consolidate the piles. I think, in work environments, piles are often necessary and understood. But I like the idea of putting them all on the same surface area --in your case, putting them all of the ledge by the window and keeping your actual desk area totally cleared off.
I have two desks and if I don't keep the one facing the door/people clear (see name link), I'd probably go insane! (While the second one is usually always under piles.)
I love the book Getting Things Done by David Allen (I think I first came across a mention of it on AT or linked from AT). Part of the premise is to not rely on visual cues such as papers to remember what you need to do--this has been a deeply embedded problem for me--because it soon turns into a mess and there's no guarantee you'll look at the stuff just because it's stacked in front of you. Instead, you manage lists, including a list of projects, and you do a "weekly review" to look at everything that's on your plate. There are also a lot of websites devoted to GTD and variations thereof.
I should be the last one to offer advice on this because my desk/filing problem is worse than yours. But since you do seem to have the "organized pile" practice down (I do not), this solution might work for you: I've seen a furniture item for sale called a "project box" which is really just a wooden box with shelves or cubbies inside, each shelf the right dimensions to hold stacks of paper. It would essentially be the same as what you have now, except you could stack several of your piles on top of each other or next to each, one to each shelf of the box.
Yes, it is a doodad, but it or something similar (stacking bins or baskets?) might be just what you need to keep all your piles separate and accessible but take up less shelf space than they do now because they'd be piled over each other. And it would look better.
I agree with Pixie. Check out David Allen's Getting Things Done book. Click my name for a link to articles about him/his method.
i'm a pile girl m'self! i'm also a compulsive teensy note taker who then loses all the notes. grr.
i haven't yet tackled my home office situation...yet! when your office is your home, or vice versa, it's hard to seperate the two...so my desk has some really strange non-office stuff on it...howdy tape measure. hi there can opener. why hello bottle of shampoo!
but anyway, what i *want* to do is get a super sharp brushed stainless tray, like, a serving tray, but nice looking...i think i saw one i liked at unica and then another at crateandbarrel. that would be my main "pile" place just to contain it a BIT, not let it get out of hand, and still keep it low, visual, and accessible.
then, i wanna get some spiffy shallow boxes (again, so the pile doesn't get thick) on the shelf for lesser important stuff, and a magazine file box or something similar for mail and bills, etc. i swear, i surf containerstore like 90 times a day when i start thinking about how i should really get my office area spiffed up...
but right now, i really have to tackle my pencil cup. the ratio of pencils to STUFF THAT SHOULDN'T BE IN THERE is astounding...i have antique keys in there, but no sharpened pencils. okay.....
good luck to ya! and don't mind my babblefest :)
katy
Well, this is weird. From your photos, I have realized that we work at the same place. My two cents is that for the offices that seem to work visually and productively around here-- and in my prior experience at other places who do the same thing-- keeping your stacks limited to a certain number (maybe 4 or 5) and placed behind you on the radiator or ledge) as well as keeping your binders/other bound papers to the upper level cubbies (not the ledge where the new phone is) would help you a lot. The only thing you should probably have on the desk in front of you is your computer and then, in addition, maybe a small plant or tiny vase with flower or low-light lamp, or photo (if wanted), piece of art (if wanted), pencil box (if needed) etc. I have seen a very nice set up that had maybe 3 of these things-- but they were all small in scale which not only left the desk clear and nice looking, but opened it up for a clear workspace to work on. Some people here also have one or two art pieces spaced out well on the bookshelf/ledges. Lastly, I realize that piles are somewhat necessary in this area of work-- but I can't promote filing enough-- for a clear desk and clear head. For an idea of what I'm talking about-- check out Adam's or Emilio's on 24. They make it work.
I'm with pixie on keeping a decent 'to-do' list to keep me focused. I have the same folder stacker you on your window sill, on my desk and find it very useful. I've also found it handy to get coloured manila files and colour code the various projects that are on the go at any one time.
Also If you go back in the Good questions archive there was one a while back about a home office where the person was using essentially a mail sorter from office depot or somewhere to house all her files on a window sill, it will block some of the lower part your view but could give you a way to get all your 'hot files' onto the window area behind you and have a completely clear work space/desk. I cant seem to find the link to the good question. If the link in my name doesnt work go to staples and look for Safco E-Z Sort Mail Sorter Module for an idea of the kind of thing i mean.
Now this is really funny. I work at the same place as Hannah and shashe (it's a big place). The chairs are a give away.
Not sure if that means the place hires people with good taste, or we have too much time on our hands.
I would second (or third) the recommendation on David Allens's Getting Things Done book. You can find free PDF articles on his website at www.davidco.com. I would also recommend Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern. She is also great! One last thing: there is an article in the recent SeeJaneWork newsletter about "Getting your desk in working order". It's more about accessories but helpful, I thought. You can find that here: http://www.seejanework.com/pulling_it_together.asp. Happy Organizing!
*erinn*
nice orchid.
Your desk and work spaces look totally neat and organized to me which makes me realize what a slob I am when it comes to my desk at work and home. The rest of my home is very neat and clean, but my office -- especially the one at home -- looks very "post-Katrina" even though I live in Brooklyn. Maybe we can organize a major cure for those of us with severe paper / office problems.
erinn: seejanework is amazing! your link didn't work, but i went to the site anyway. i love it! the mousepad notepads...the punctuated page markers...oh drool, this is totally my new mecca...
I agree with Pixie and Andrea, but you might want to take a look at The David's book "Ready for Anything" before reading "Getting Things Done."
Stephanie Culp's "Conquering the Paper Pile-up" is an excellent, exhaustive work which includes an outstanding discussion of disaster prep and recovery.
Stephanie Winston's "Getting Organized" is a classic org-o book with the best discussion of filing for most home and home office/home business users.
And, while I'm at it, I try to read Culp's "Streamlining Your Life" every six months or so.
We don't work in the same office, but we have the same monitor stand. :-)
As an organizer I have used a lot of magazine holders to break different projects into moveable
and contained units.
Your back ledge seems to be a great place to line them up.As you work on a particular of project you can spread things out on your desk. When switching gears just put everything back into the magazine holder, and go to the next one.
This also works well as a prelimenary filing system, as the box is the active part of your project. Your files are your resource and reference cneter, so as a project is completed, pair down what really needs to be kept.
The projects that are the most current should be the easiest to reach, like the rings of a tree trunk you want less often frequented but still ongoing issues out but not in "prime real estate".
That file cabinet might be a good surface for that, maybe also good for reading still to be done.
Happy Organizing.
Remember, Neatness Does Not Equal Organization>
Sylvia
Jean, Thanks for the mention of "Streamlining Your Life" - I put it on my book list. I used one of her previous books from way back, maybe "How to Get Organized" and it was a definite turning point in how I deal with paper.
I was thinking about Shashe's comment that in your line of work you need to be able to keep project files out. I'm an editor, and I need to keep some files out as well.
What I do is keep manila folders in an expandable file for a particular project. It keeps them all together for when I need to check something and makes it easier for me to take them home. When I'm not using them, the expandable files fit in my file cabinet.