Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here!
Here are some suggestions on how to obtain an efficient office
2. Touch each paper only once. Decide which Hot File it should go into immediately
3. For your Filing System, create an alphabetical system for your papers. Shown above is Erasable Hanging File Folder Labels from The Container Store. Here are some suggestions for Filing System Labels: Auto; Banking; Credit Cards; Home; Insurance; Medical; Travel; Utilities; Warranties
4. Open the mail each day for 5 minutes and sort quickly.
5. Set aside time each week to pay bills. Read more on Organizing your Bills.
6. Spend 20 minutes at your desk each day creating order and keeping up with your paper work. This is VERY important… if it gets away from you – it is twice as hard to catch up.
7. Make a To Do List with priorities.
8. Write down all your phone messages in one place and keep track of all your return calls and numbers. It helps if you have a notepad, notebook, chalkboard, or whatever set aside just for phone messages.
9. Keep business cards in one place and be sure to write them onto your contact list. If you need a hard copy, keep them in a notebook or a Rolodex.
What does your office look like?
Do you have piles of papers in every corner?
Does it take you a long time to just find the right bill to pay?
Do you wish all the paper would just disappear?
I have to admit… I have seen some REALLY MESSY OFFICES in my day. You would be surprised what you run into when you enter clients’ homes. I have walked into some offices and thought to myself – “How do you get anything done in here?”
I was just in one of these ‘messy’ offices the other day and that is when I thought: I could write a post to help! (Remember, I’m CDO – that’s OCD but I put the letters in the correct order!)
Here are some suggestions on how to obtain an efficient office
1. Create a quick filing system on your desk… call it a Hot File.
Camille over at The Vintique Object found a great vertical file folder which fits inside a magazine file. It's from Martha Stewart at Staples. Brilliant idea! Here are some suggestions for Hot File Labels: Children/School; Coupons; Events/Invitations; Pending; To Do Work; To File; To Pay
2. Touch each paper only once. Decide which Hot File it should go into immediately
3. For your Filing System, create an alphabetical system for your papers. Shown above is Erasable Hanging File Folder Labels from The Container Store. Here are some suggestions for Filing System Labels: Auto; Banking; Credit Cards; Home; Insurance; Medical; Travel; Utilities; Warranties
4. Open the mail each day for 5 minutes and sort quickly. 
5. Set aside time each week to pay bills. Read more on Organizing your Bills.6. Spend 20 minutes at your desk each day creating order and keeping up with your paper work. This is VERY important… if it gets away from you – it is twice as hard to catch up.
7. Make a To Do List with priorities. 8. Write down all your phone messages in one place and keep track of all your return calls and numbers. It helps if you have a notepad, notebook, chalkboard, or whatever set aside just for phone messages. 9. Keep business cards in one place and be sure to write them onto your contact list. If you need a hard copy, keep them in a notebook or a Rolodex.
10. Reward yourself for your efforts and keep track of all future papers.
