Here is an even split of tips to start you off in the right direction to makeover your office space, whether home or commercial, while keeping some basic keys to organization and design – you guessed it – in mind.
Organization
1. Create a storage spot for everything. Go back to the basics of organization with the motto “a place for everything, and everything in its place” and apply that principle to your work station. Set up a specified spot for everything you need in the categories of paperwork, supplies, and equipment, and use appropriate storage tools at your disposal like bins, containers, magazine files, and decorative boxes.
2. Modernize your inbox and outbox. Don’t. Just. Stack. Have designated holders for mail and incoming paperwork to be sorted, filed, reviewed, handled, mailed, etc. Set aside frequent time to process so your workload does not pile up on you. Shred or toss anything extra or unneeded right away that does not fit into your established categories.
3. Process and store all your paperwork in a streamlined manner. Pick a method that works for how you work, and use it full throttle. Do you like files in drawers? Notebooks on bookcases? Bins and file boxes on shelves? Let your system encompass everything you process and store for speed and accuracy.
4. Master the art of paring down. Utilize your space to its max by not having too much on hand that just takes up space. You do not need 2 staplers and 3 jars of pens on your desk, now do you?
5. Maintain an “invisible doorman.” Just as a doorman lets in permitted people and keeps others out of a building, serve as your own gatekeeper and keep your work space just that – working. If it belongs in another area of your home or office building, do not let it hit your desktop and clutter your space.
Design
6. Balance personal and professional. Find what’s right for your work environment and allow your furnishings and décor to reflect what you do, who you are, and what you bring to the table for your clients.
7. Add in visual interest in doable doses. Incorporate a bold color, pattern, or print in something like an area rug or wall art instead of in wall colors or furnishings to keep things fresh put professional and approachable.
8. Light it right. Use lamps to light your desktop and a seating area, if applicable. Leaving all the lighting to commercial fluorescents only is a colder, sterile, draining environment day in and day out.
9. Cover your bases top to bottom. Think about the design details from up high to down low to establish an inviting, put-together work environment. That could incorporate displays on shelves to pleasing art on the walls to a good high-traffic area rug beneath your space.
10. Incorporate color where you can. Add in fresh flowers, a printed throw pillow on a side chair, a cluster of small pottery on a coffee table, or a repeated color in your framed art or fabrics to keep from working in a bland environment that does not foster or display your neat, stylish side.
Topic provided at the request of the North Harlingen Rotary Club.
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star April 17th.
