Organization Ideas

I’m continuing my focus this week on organizing and improving my personal and professional life. This week I’m concentrating on my work environment since I sometimes feel that I’m at work more than at home. With all the time constraints and stresses that occupy our life it’s important to have a tranquil organized workspace to be able to retreat to. Are you like me where I am juggling the constant overload of information and disruption from e-mails? I find it difficult to sit at my desk and complete a project while I’m bombarded with a multitude of e-mails. I am working on some techniques to take control of my e-mail box and found this site that you may want to check out. It’s got some great tips which I’ve found have allowed me to take control of my e-mails.

http://e-mail.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_control_an_email_overload

I have found it’s also important to provide a quiet retreat area during those times when I need some uninterrupted time to complete a project. Many times in an existing area there isn’t available space or dollars allotted for an enclosed room. A lower cost flexible alternative in place of reworking your office space, reconfiguring workstations and moving employees may be to create a private alcove somewhere in your office with a comfortable chairs and a small table. I’ve attached a link to a product in the Steelcase product line that could create that private get-away area.

http://www.steelcase.com/bl/bix_products.aspx?f=33675

Of course a view to the outside is always nice especially if your office or workstation isn’t close to a window so you can enjoy the view and experience the calming connection with the natural environment. If a window isn’t available there are other strategies to create the same effect. The calming effect could be created by soft, warm paint colors (check out Alisha’s blog discussing paint colors), subdued lighting and an interesting piece of artwork. I feel so much more relaxed now that I am controlling my environment instead of it controlling me! I hope I’ll be a lot more efficient but I still have to remain vigilant with my e-mail box. Unfortunately it’s too easy to slide back into my old ways. I’ll continue searching for other creative ways to optimize space and simplify my environment. I’ll keep you posted with what I find.

Sandi