Organising your office

Making sure your studio space is organised will not only save time wasted looking for that piece of paper but you will be able to think clearer as well. admin-ajax

As someone who isn’t naturally a neat, it became essential that I kept a tidy studio/office. The number one thing I needed in order to do this was to get a filing cabinet. Even if you are just a startup and feel you don’t need one, having everything organised from the start will save you time once business picks up. Besides, if you’re like most start-ups you’re probably doing everything yourself so wasting 30 minutes per day chasing your tail is 30 minutes of lost productivity.

  • Do your filing at least once a week. Much like cleaning your house – if you leave it a week its manageable – leave it a month and its a nightmare.
  • The next step that is just as vital, is to organise your computer files in some sort of order. Only you know who your clients are, whether you use word documents mostly, just email, or images; whatever the files- keep everything where they are easy to find. Regularly clean up redundant files, move old files to an archive so you don’t confused them with current files. Separate all your business files from your personal ones.
  • When downloading a file, save it under its relevant file position not just the last place you downloaded a file to. This saves plenty of time when a client rings you requesting a copy of the pdf you were discussing earlier. For documents that get referred to constantly, save them as a desktop icon or in two different folders so you can find them quickly.
  • This is going to be a little naff but do as the yellow pages do. Your local plumber calls himself AAAPlumbing, so she is the first plumber in the Yellow Pages. Do the same with the file you use the most. The file I use the most – I call AAAExplainafide, that way its always at the top of the folder.

Who said the yellow pages was redundant?

This is just the bare basics of keeping an organised office, and where I consistently see clients still suffering office disorganisation.

Resources - 16 Jan 2011 - by Rob Jennings

About Rob Jennings

When he found himself embroiled in a conversation with someone talking about their ‘customer-centric core competencies’ he realised it was time to create a Web Design Agency that was less about self promoting buzz-words and more about people and giving them the tools to understand the web.

The idea behind We Push Buttons was to create an environment where business owners can learn about building their organisation, whether it be with an outstanding website, SEO or any other marketing ideas. Coming from the art industry and online retail background he knows first hand the needs of growing a business in a tough environment.

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