I’m sure we all have some area of our workspace that we’d like to organize, but we don’t get around to it and it seems to grow out of control. I recommend that you spend fifteen minutes a day organizing some part of your work area. Here I outline some organization tips to help you become and remain more organized.

Take everything off your desktop. Then, as you put things back, think about whether or not it needs to be at your fingertips. Only put things back on your desk that you need and use every day. Anything else should be placed elsewhere.

Make a To-Do list. Set up “action files” and put them in an upright file holder on your desk. Examples of labels for these files would be “Do,” “Consider,” “Awaiting Answer,” “File,” “Hold,” and “Read.” Remember to look in the folders every day so you don’t miss anything important. Use your to-do list to remind you of specific tasks.

Handle each piece of paper as infrequently as possible. When you pick up a piece of paper, don’t just put it in another pile. Take the next step in resolving whatever it represents, whether it’s making a note of an appointment or an idea or calling to enroll your child in day camp. Then put the paper in the recycle bin. Don’t save paper if you’re not willing to spend the time to file it.

My philosophy about filing is to ask whether I’m going to need a given piece of paper again. There are records that should be kept in a file folder. For the rest, consider scanning. I use my scanner daily to capture images that I might want to keep, but I don’t need the paper version. If it’s not worth the trouble to file it, is it really worth keeping? Get rid of rough drafts of completed projects, outdated or expired material, and unnecessary duplicates. But be sure to create a coherent file structure for your scanned documents so you will be able to retrieve them.

Business cards present an ongoing problem. They are completely useless to you if stored away in a shoebox. The best thing to do with a business card is to enter the information into Outlook at the first opportunity after you lay hands on it, then recycle it! The benefits of this practice will be evident the first time you’re looking for a particular phone number and you can find it within seconds instead of the twenty minutes it would take you to go through a stack of business cards. Think of the ways you could use an extra 20 minutes to help your business. (Don’t forget to synchronize your Outlook Contacts with your phone or PDA so you have this information to hand when away from your office.)

Now that you’ve organized your desktop, why stop now? Take a look at your electronic files.

Using Outlook to get organized and stay organized

• Outlook Today: The Outlook Today screen summarizes appointments and tasks due for the upcoming day. This will show your Calendar, Tasks, and number of messages. (This assumes you are keeping track of your meetings and tasks in Outlook. If you’re not, it’s never too late to start.) To make Outlook Today show up when you start Outlook, go to the Navigation Pane of Outlook (left column) and click on Outlook Today. (If you use the Personal Folders File [.pst] click on the icon.) On the Outlook Today page click Customize Outlook Today. In the Startup area, select the When starting, go directly to Outlook Today check box. Then be sure to Save Changes.
• Categories: Create Categories to help you keep track of your contacts. Simple categories like Clients, Prospects, and Newsletter will help you use your contacts list more effectively. You can then use the categories function to help create mail-merges in Word to send out client letters to select groups. For example, you may want to send a letter and coupon to everyone in a category you’ve created called “existing clients.” By having that category in Outlook, you can quickly and easily merge those addresses with your letter and also print envelopes.
• Follow-Up Flag: The Follow-Up flag in Outlook is a very powerful tool. You can use this in your Inbox or Contacts views to remind you to follow up with a call, letter, or e-mail. In Contacts, open the entry you wish to flag. Click on the red Follow-up button. You can choose from the menu or select Custom, which gives you the option of choosing whether the follow-up is a call, meeting, e-mail, or letter. Check the box next to Reminder and you’ll get an alarm to alert you of the task.
• Address Book: For added convenience, you can access Outlook contacts directly from Word by inserting a button on your Word toolbar to link to your Outlook Address Book without having to switch back and forth between programs. If you’ve ever wanted to address an envelope quickly and easily, you’re going to like this. Use this to print an envelope or label quickly. Here’s how: In Word 2007, click on the Office icon in the upper left corner of your screen. Select Word Options | Customize. In the Choose commands from box select All Commands. Select Address Book in the list and click Add | OK.

In Word 2003, open Word. Choose View | Toolbars | Customize, then switch to the Commands tab. Under Categories, choose Insert. Near the bottom of the Commands list, you’ll find Address Book. Click and drag that command to any toolbar currently displayed in Word.

To use it, click on the Address Book button on your Word toolbar, then double click on the address you want to print on an envelope or label. This inserts the address in Word. Select Tools | Letters and Mailings | Envelopes and Labels and click Print.

Note: The default address layout omits the Company Name field and adds the Country field to the address. To change the default address layout perform the following steps:

1. In Word 2007, click on the Office icon in the upper left corner of your screen. Select Word Options | Customize. In the Choose commands from box select All Commands. Select AutoText in the list and click Add | OK.
2. Type the following into a blank Word document, exactly as presented (the curly brackets {} mean omit the field if it is blank):

{<PR_GIVEN_NAME> <PR_SURNAME>
}{<PR_TITLE>
}{<PR_COMPANY_NAME>
}{<PR_STREET_ADDRESS>
}{<PR_LOCALITY>, <PR_STATE_OR_PROVINCE> <PR_POSTAL_CODE>}

3. Select the above text
4. Click on the AutoText button you just added to your toolbar and select Save Selection to AutoText Gallery. In the dialog box under Name enter AddressLayout and click OK.

These are some things I have found particularly useful and I hope you will too. Of course, there are hundreds of books available on getting organized. Check your local library or book store for one that suits you.

Sue Boedeker
Valley Virtual Assistance