I recently discovered a website by Smead (best known for office filing products) that is a wonderful interactive tool for people looking for help organizing their desk space or office (the #1 request I get as an organizer). The site is called Smead Organomics and it provides organizing solutions through an interactive website. With January being GO Month, there’s no better time to check out such a site.
The site is divided into five sections: My Organomics, Hot Topics, One Minute Answers, Organomics Calculator (which can figure out how much time and money is lost during organization) and Club Organomics. Each section has value and offers expert answers.
Below is an example of the kind of problem-solving information you can find on the Organomics website to help you become better organized. The right office product for your project and learning style can really make all the difference in your success in maintaining an organized office space.
According to research conducted by Smead, all work can be broken down into six different types. Once you understand the specific categories of work you do, it is easier to develop organizational techniques for each of these categories that can help you manage workloads more easily and with less stress. The different categories of work include:
Projects
Anything you work on over a period of time, or that involves multiple tasks. If you are detail oriented (there are 5 work styles detailed on the website), projects could be made easier by using Colored Classification Folders. Or if you are team oriented, 10-Pocket Project Organizers would be a good option.
Meetings
Any purposeful gathering of two or more participants where information or ideas are shared. For people who are visually oriented, meetings would be more effective with Smead’s Clear Brief Covers.
To Do Now Items
Anything you need to do right away. For goal-oriented people, “To Do Now Items” can better be managed with Smead’s Colored Poly Project Jackets, which provide room to hold task materials and can be prioritized by color.
To Do Later Items
Anything you don’t need to do, or can’t do, right away. Team oriented people are better able to handle “To Do Later Items” with Smead’s 6-pocket Weekly Organizer while detail oriented people may prefer Smead’s Daily and Monthly Desk File/Sorter.
Immediate Reference - Items you need to access right away or that you use frequently. All types of work styles can benefit by using Smead’s Viewables Labeling System, which enables people to color code different categories of information.
Future Reference- Items you don’t need to access right away, things that might be important sometime later, or items that would be difficult or expensive to recreate. Visually-oriented people as well as goal-oriented people should consider using Smead’s Colored FastTab Folders, which have a large built-in tab for easy labiling.