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Learning More About Technology

When I realized that I wanted to go back to school, I stopped to think about what I would need to do. It had been years since I cracked open a textbook, much less learned something new on a computer. However, I wanted to succeed, so I started to learn more about technology. I spent hours brushing up on my computer troubleshooting skills and when I was done, I felt a little more prepared. After I started school, I learned even more. I made this blog to teach other people a little about technology, so that you can keep up with your peers.

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Learning More About Technology

Save Time, Money, And Your Sanity By De-Cluttering Your Office

by Alyssa Bates

Many people find that their office tends to become an overloaded and disorganized place over time. If this is happening to you, it can seem overwhelming to think about how to get rid of the mess and keep it from coming back... all while still getting your work done. Here are 4 steps anyone can do to help themselves conquer the clutter.

Have Items Earn Their Way. Start your office reorganization with a good clean-up. Start with your most-used spaces—usually the desk top and the nearest drawers. Clear everything off the desk and into a large bin or box... and this means everything. Give the work area a good scrub. Then, begin your workday by taking items from the box in order to work. As you use supplies and equipment, find it a useful place back on the desk. If you don't use anything in the box for several days, it's time to find them a new home... or to get rid of them. Repeat this process with your drawers one at a time.

Assess Your Work Flow. If you use a lot of papers or process items, think about how they flow across your desk and through your office. Generally, people find a left-to-right work flow most efficient, but find a way that works best for you. Papers should be touched as little as possible and should move toward their destinations in an organized manner. They should have designated spots throughout the process until they leave your area. Similarly, consider how often you move back and forth between items in your office, then minimize repeated trips by rearranging things to improve that single-direction flow.

Rethink Paper. Paperwork is a bane of modern offices, but you have the technology to help master it. Start a digital filing system to replace as much of your paper filing as you can. What you can store digitally may depend on legal and tax regulations or guidelines within your industry, but the more you can convert to digital files and shred, the less clutter your office will store. If you have a lot of paper files to convert or will be working with a lot of paper, look into purchasing a dedicated scanner that can handle large volumes. 

Do a Little Every Day. Maintaining your organization and keeping the office clutter-free requires a little ongoing maintenance. Develop a habit of resetting your office each evening when you reset your computer. Fifteen minutes at the end of each day gives you time to return items to their places, lightly clean work spaces, scan papers accumulated through the day, organize daily email, or take things to a more permanent storage space. Accomplishing any or all of these tasks can help you avoid returning to old ways.

By following these few steps, you can help yourself get more done with less effort or stress. And that can improve your bottom line in ways you may not even realize yet.

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