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January is officially the month to "get organized," according to the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).
For business owners or time-weary professionals, getting the paper piles and office clutter organized might seem like a resolution too insurmountable to tackle. But with a little bit of professional help, companies can improve their efficiency - and even their bottom line. And there's no better time than January to get started.
"I think businesses have a great opportunity to use a New Year's resolution to create a culture of organizing," said Mia Stickel, owner of Lawrenceville-based Corporate Order and President of NAPO-Georgia. "Everyone is in the mindset of 'what can I improve this coming year.' They're doing that for their personal lives, and it also works well professionally."
Disorder drains
According to Stickel, who has helped organize the offices of small businesses and large corporations alike, many professionals begin the new year with intentions of finally getting their office organized. But the paper piles begin to overwhelm them, and soon their enthusiasm for getting things in order has faded along with other resolutions. Disorder clutters the mind.
"If you're disorganized, then you have disorganized areas which creates cluttered minds and less focus on priorities," she said. "Getting organized helps people to focus and be efficient, which creates productivity."
Companies that hire Stickel, or any of the many professional organizers affiliated with NAPO, have the advantage of hands-on help. Stickel brings a team of organizers with her on the job, which can last anywhere from a few days to six months. Their expertise allows them to be an objective observer presenting a different perspective and the knowledge to avoid common mistakes.
"For the most part, not having action files is the most common mistake," Stickel said. "If they do have it, it's limiting."
Having detailed action files sorted by subject helps workers have all their follow-up items organized, not sitting in piles of papers on their desks. "They're functioning out of the pile. A pile is not distinguished; it's just one big lump. The action file saves time, bottom line," she added.
The easiest place to get started with tackling office clutter is to tackle the filing system. Pulling old or barely used files out of the immediate working area and storing them is time consuming, but relatively painless. The top priority for any organizational overhaul, and perhaps the hardest, is to organize the piles of papers on the desk into a functioning system.
"You never give up. Any organizer will stick with them as long as they stick it out, so there are no case scenarios that are hopeless. It's important to commit and stay focused to their goal," Stickel said.
Order is ordained
There are many benefits to keeping an organized office. Simple expenses, like office supplies, can begin to add up if a storage room is disorganized and supplies are purchased unnecessarily because they're tucked away or hidden behind a slew of items. Whether an office is organized or not can affect not only expenses. It plays a large part in productivity, morale and ultimately a company's bottom line.
"With every business I have ever organized, their bottom line always improves because their people are so much more efficient and make better use of their time. They're better focused," said professional organizer Patty Chirico, owner of Jericho Enterprises and author of "Organize Your Life: The Genesis Principle."
Although companies who choose to hire professional organizers will invest thousands of dollars doing it, most agree that the benefits outweigh the expense, Stickel said. Things like efficiency, productivity and time management are priceless commodities that all businesses must have in order to succeed.
Interruptions are one of the key culprits to disorganization, she said.
"Every interruption costs us six minutes of focus time. It's like getting on a street with red lights as opposed to getting on the freeway," she said.
The Gainesville resident, who is a NAPO member, learned these principles 15 years ago. She applied them to her personal and professional life before she became a professional organizer. The principles changed her life.
"I was inefficient and lost a lot of time," she said. "One of my goals is to help people get their life in balance, so they enjoy their work, enjoy their family and enjoy life more."
For more information about NAPO-Georgia or to find a corporate organizer, go to www.napogeorgia.com.
Get Organized - Container Tours
Members of the National Association of Professional Organizers are giving tours, and offering suggestions and recommendations for office organizational products at two locations. These tours are free. Call 404-239-8149 to register.
Monday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. The Container Store, 120 Perimeter Center West
Monday, Jan. 17 at noon and Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Office Depot, 2625 Piedmont Rd. in Buckhead Crossing Shopping Center.
Best tips for organizing your office
•Keep one master calendar for all activities - business and personal. Write everything in pencil. You'll save time and whiteout. When scheduling an appointment, put the phone number next to the name. You won't spend time hunting for the number if the appointment needs to be changed.
-Betsy Wilkowsky of The Organized Executive, Inc., Atlanta
•Keep phone calls and messages in a spiral notebook or phone log instead of using small pieces of paper. The log keeps everything together in one neat place and it also serves as a running history as well as a defacto directory if you lose someone's number down the road.
-Monica Ricci, Catalyst Organizing, Alpharetta
•If you cringe at the thought of filing papers away because out of sight, out of mind ... try an open-top rolling cart for your primary active files. They are not closed in a drawer, but rather right at your fingertips.
-Allison Carter, The Professional Organizer, Marietta
•Create folders for your e-mails. As soon as you read an e-mail, delete it, respond to it, or move it to a folder. The folder can be named "personal to do" or "business to do," but at least you keep the e-mails orderly and moving.
-Lynn Plait, Professional Organizer, Roswell
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