Paper chase: organizing your office keeps you out of the rat race.

AuthorCampbell, Carolyn
PositionEntrepreneurEdge - Randall Pinson from Stellar Mindset

Randall Pinson needed to organize his office. As the owner of Rocket Auctions, a surplus liquidation business, and Stellar Mindset, an e-commerce consulting company, Pinson wears many hats. "There were chaotic piles around my desk," he says. "When I get stuff, I have a hard time prioritizing it, assuming I will get around to it. My piles reached a point where once a month I would have to shred, file or take action. This became a whole day process."

Pinson's cluttered desk took a mental toll as well. "If you are surrounded by clutter and don't have a clean workplace, your brain has to work harder to put a project together." While Pinson's businesses are mainly online, he felt embarrassed if someone walked into his office unexpectedly. "I knew it wasn't normal for someone to come into my office and cringe," he says.

Pinson sought the expertise of Linda Isom, owner of Clearing Space by Design, a professional organizing business. She says office disorganization is common, especially in small businesses where owners take on multiple tasks.

"Disorganization can undermine a company's credibility," Isom says, adding that quick information retrieval is critically tied to business success. "When a client requests something, you need to find it right away. The organized business saves time, money and productivity. You can provide excellent customer service because what you need is right in front of you or you know where to get it." Isom and other Utah organizers offer the following suggestions to get your office back in shape.

  1. Consider a professional organizer.

    Only 10 percent of people are "born organized--the rest have to learn," says Isom. With multiple demands, a business owner becomes reactive instead of proactive. "They get a little defensive and allow the needs of the business and the demands of the employees to establish their workday. If your business has been organizationally challenged for a while, it helps to hire a professional organizer to offer a different perspective and tailor-made solutions for its specific challenges."

  2. Establish what stays.

    "Start with items you know you have to keep, those 'for sure' things, such as your computer, your phone book, your paper. Then add items that you use regularly--daily, weekly, even monthly. Consider not keeping items that you might use or that you once used," says Laura Lawrence, owner and CEO of Harmony Within. Marcia Warner, CEO of A Better Way Organizing Solutions, adds, "Keep things in...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT