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Published October 2004 Drowning
in clutter? Dear BizBest: OK, I’m officially embarrassed. Last week I heard an employee make a joke about the chaotic state of our small office. She was right, of course, but maybe it’s time to get organized. I’m sure we could be more productive around here, but organizing isn’t my forte. Where can I get help? — Chaos is Us Dear Chaos: Chris Perrow is a professional organizer who deals daily with the negative financial and emotional impact that office clutter has on small companies. With the change of seasons, she says, the urge to organize and start fresh in the office re-emerges. Yet despite the operating efficiencies that technology has brought to businesses large and small, the paper monster lives on. Perrow is pumped as she helps a business owner in Silver Lake, Ohio, reacquaint herself with the surface of her desk. The small firm is in clean-out mode — elbow deep in overflowing file cabinets and electronic litter — and called on Perrow for advice. According to Perrow, most business owners are on information overload, working long hours without thinking much about simple productivity issues of how and why things get done. “When they stop to analyze the situation, they often find much could be delegated, eliminated or done at a more efficient time,” she says. But without a system in place to keep things organized, chaos rules. Carol Halsey, an organizing coach based in Wilsonville, Ore., suggests a five-step approach to dealing with office paperwork that she calls DRAFT, for Discard, Refer, Act, File and Table.
Better efficiency is something every business owner can achieve, says productivity pro Laura Stack, author of “Leave the Office Earlier” (Broadway Books, 2004). There will always be more things to do than time to do them, says Stack. The problem is time usage, not time shortage. Stack’s message is clear: Organize or perish. Axing clutter not only improves productivity and lowers stress, it’s the key to creating more time for the things you want to do. Here are more organizing resources and solutions that can help:
BizBest publishes “The 100 Best Resources for Small Business” and other resource directories. Visit www.bizbest100.com. E-mail questions to dan@bizbest.com. |
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© 2004 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA |
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