By: Tiffany Dobbyn, Capitol Morning Report

Organized desk

If your desk is cluttered with office supplies, piles of unorganized paperwork, and Post-It note reminders, it might be time to refresh your office space. Gwynnae Byrd, a professional organizer and owner of Home Transitions and Good 4 Business, says there are simple ways to increase efficiency and comfort in your work space whether you’re working from home or returning back to the office. Byrd says tackling the physical set-up should be the top priority. “Making sure that you have a comfortable chair is always important, and decent lighting is important too,” Byrd said. She then suggests taking a step back and ask, ‘What do I do in this space?’ “That sounds like an obvious question, but if you really think about it ask: ‘how am I spending my time here, am I on the computer all the time, am I using books, am I working with files, am I working with physical things,'” she says. “You want to set up your office to support whatever it is that you’re doing.” Byrd says when it comes to office organization, keeping things you use the most should be closest to you. “If you use the stapler, tape, paper clips every day, those should probably reside on your desk,” she suggested. “Then you go to the second level of ‘I use these things once in a while, but not every day,’ those things should probably be in a drawer or a nearby cabinet.” Byrd is a big fan of drawer dividers to create compartments to keep smaller items organized. For items that aren’t used frequently, Byrd suggests using large bins or baskets to store similar things together. “And, you’re likely going to label that; if you don’t use it often enough, you’ll forget where it is,” she said. She suggests labeling bins and the end of shelves to finds things more easily. Byrd says a common issue she helps clients with is finding solutions for all the papers that accumulate. “First, designate a special spot for all those papers instead of placing them wherever they can land,” she said. She likes using a vertical paper holder or stand to keep papers that require immediate attention. She also insists people ask themselves, ‘Will I use this piece of paper; do I need to have it?’ If so, create a filing system. “When I start any filing system I start very broadly, I don’t create categories and try to fit my paper into my categories, I look at what are the types of papers and create my categories from that,” she said. “You want to be thoughtful when setting it up because in the end, it will help you easily retrieve stuff; you don’t want to file it willy-nilly because you will never look at it again.” Byrd loves the idea of color coding items whether it’s folders for paperwork, or small reminders. “If you want to work with Post-It notes, make your green Post-It notes the things you need to get to every day, verses blue ones that may be your long-term projects,” she said. Byrd also has ideas on how to increase productivity at work, including setting guidelines with email. “By that I mean, don’t feel compelled to respond to every email you receive the second you receive it because that is very distracting,” Byrd said. “If your job allows it, what you want to do is you want to let people know, ‘I send emails three times a day,’ for example: first thing in the morning, after lunch and at the end of the day. Set the expectation that people will not hear back from you until one of those times.” She says structuring the work day with blocks of time will pay off. “You’ll be a much more productive person,” she said. Another way to stay organized is to plan ahead. “At the end of everybody’s day, if you can, write down the top three things you need to accomplish the next day,” she suggests. “That may be on a list on paper, it might be on your phone, it could take many forms, but the key is thinking through how you’re going to spend your time.” Byrd says placing a cork board near or above the computer may help with placing those quick tasks within eyesight. And, Byrd says don’t forget to personalize your space. “If you’re coming back from working from home, bring a little bit of your home with you,” she says. “Customize it with pictures or collectibles; don’t over-do it, but make yourself feel comfortable.” While any organizational project may seem daunting at first, Byrd says keeping things tidy will help in the long run. “It may seem like it will take a lot of time, but it will save you time eventually, it’s worth putting in the time up front,” Byrd said. Contact: Byrd 916 202 1297.