How many hours a day are you in your office? If it’s more than you care to share, than your office needs to be a place not only of work … but of refuge.

Take a minute and think of 5 key words you’d like to use to describe your office. For example, you might want to describe it as inviting, cozy, tidy, intuitive and organized. These 5 key words are the goals on which you can now take action.

NOW, HERE ARE THE TOP FIVE TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:

1. CLEAR THE MIND AND CLEAR THE DESK

Excluding your computer and phone, clear off the top of your desk. Put everything in a box (you’ll use this box later so keep it handy!). Wipe your desk down and get rid of all those nasty dust bunnies.

2. USE A WORKING SYSTEM

To keep your desk tidy and useable for the long run, you need a working system. Ask yourself these primer questions. Do you need:

Now set up these different “stations” on the top of your desk or in certain areas of your office and keep those spaces dedicated. Remember, overlaps cause confusion and mayhem.

3. THINKING OUT OF THE BOX (LITERALLY!)

Now go back to the box you used in Tip #1 and take out every item and put it in it’s ‘new’ place. File items that need to be filed, toss items that are no longer needed and delegate anything you can.

4. TAME YOUR EMAIL

Take time to organize and purge your inbox. Set up folders for only those areas and subject matter you use most often. If you can, your email folders should correspond with the names of your real world files and folders (this will save you time trying to find things later). Delete emails you no longer need. Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer read. Be ruthless.

GIT Bonus point: Learn how to setup email filters for certain emails that you want to keep but don’t need to immediately access. Have the filter redirect the email to the folders you created in Tip # 4.

5. START AN END OF WORK DAY RITUAL

Now that your office is organized and you have your systems in place, it’s time to institute a new personal policy. Take 15 minutes at the end of each work day to clear off your desk, put things back and set-up for the next morning. This will make your office and desk so much more inviting.

To make this a habit, schedule this as an end of day appointment so you remember to do it! After 20 days, it will be hard not to do!

Don’t let your office become a dumping ground for you or others. Keep those 5 key words handy. Now that you’ve dreamed them – live them!

Don’t delay, start today. Getting started (and Getting It Together) is where it all begins.

Feeling overwhelmed? Contact Rowena List at www.gettingitogether.ca or 604-520-9550 for a complimentary 30 minute phone consultation. Booking a purging and organizing session with Rowena can be done at the same contact info.

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Whether you are a client or not, Rowena would like to thank you for your referrals by offering a referral fee for any new client you send her way.

She’ll give you a cheque for 10% of the total bill or that same amount off your next newly booked session with her. That means that if you refer a client who books an image organizing session worth $400, then you get $40. That’s a free night at the movies!

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The 1 to 31 Organizing System™

Have you ever wondered how Rowena keeps on top of her hectic schedule. The key to her success is the 1 to 31 Organizing System™. It has been the base for her business and personal life for over 20 years and has proven to be a great asset.

Because of this, she wants to bring this organizing system to all you Moms, entrepreneurs, business people or anyone who desparately needs to be organized.

One customer said:

“The 1to31 has helped me enormously. I used to have bills, invitations, cards, lists and reminders stuck all over my fridge. I felt overwhelmed by the clutter and would miss important dates. The 1to31 helps me feel in control of my life’s events and keeps everything together. I wouldn’t be without it.”

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Amanda Baggett
Sales Trainer, Education Services
Research in Motion

The system is so easy to use, that it will become second nature within a few days. Once you get started you’ll wonder how you ever managed (or didn’t manage) without it. For more information click here.

The 1 to 31 Organizing System™ is available now by contacting Rowena here.

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Rowena List is an Image Organizer™, motivational speaker, CD author, writer, trainer and mentor in the fields of personal and business development. Based on her own personal trade secrets, Rowena provides training, coaching, tools and support for creating healthy reflections from the outside in. She focuses on “enhancing faces and clearing spaces” to provide the energy, productivity and confidence that are the foundations for her unique approach to Success Without Struggle™.

For article permissions, more information on Image Organizing™, on booking Rowena for a presentation or a one-on-one or on Getting It Together please contact her here.