A workspace that works: Burnham, who says she color-coordinated her crayons as a child, has a home office with matching boxes, notebooks and files, as well as a chalkboard-painted wall with her annual goals.
Doesn’t sound like you? No problem. Just make sure you have these items, she says:
—A shallow tray: Burnham recommends that people have a bowl or tray where they put everything that needs action, including bills, mail and to-do lists. Her favorites are no more than an inch deep. “The deeper it is, the longer it takes you to go through it, and the more you put it off,” she says.
—One desktop caddy: It should only be big enough to hold the office supplies you use on a daily basis, Burnham says, because desktop space is prime real estate for working. Put items you don’t use daily in a nearby drawer or on a shelf.
—Two to four filing systems: Burnham recommends having separate systems—one for client information, another for business reference information (permits, zoning, lease agreements) and at least one more for tax documentation. Burnham organizes her receipts and mileage records in an accordion folder, divided by month.
Then name each file based on what will make for easiest retrieval. For example, if it’s information on a loan, it’s probably better to file it in a section called “loans” than a file marked with the lender’s name.
“A filing system should be set up so that it’s easy to retrieve, easy to find and easy to file,” Burnham says. “If it’s not easy, people won’t do it.”
©2014 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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