Squeezed into a corner? Maximize whatever space you have.

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” How true, not just for hotels but for our offices as well.

Studies have found that the physical space in which we work affects satisfaction, productivity, and even learning. Yet few of us take time to strategize and organize our workplaces or our homes.

Imagine an office where you show up every day and feel excited each day to get started because your desk is inviting you to sit down. Your chair is ergonomically correct, you have all the latest technology, and you have comfortable seats for your guests. When your office is right, you will feel comfortable and energized. When you check into your office each morning, you will have the right keys for being organized.

Here are a few keys and a few simple steps, ranging from the right work-space system to ergonomic-friendly products that can help businesses boost employee productivity and ease.

Be ergonomically correct
Keep a massage ball handy to free your hands from stress. People performing repetitive activities on a keyboard or an adding machine can injure their hands. A stress ball will help you exercise your hands in new ways, rather than just typing.

Arrange your office room in such a way as to maintain appropriate air circulation. Position yourself away from air conditioning vents that push air right on top of you.

Position your computer monitor twenty-four to thirty-seven inches away from you with the screen at or below eye level to reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.

If you are on the phone a lot, use a headset or a quality speakerphone so that you can listen and write notes at the same time.


Create an at-home work-space 
Designate a spot in your home to do your business and money activities such as Internet research, writing thank-you notes, managing your schedule, and paying bills.

Always do work activities in that space and only that space.  Then you’ll always know where everything is.

Arrange your main office
Arrange your office furniture for maximum use of the space.
Create a specific location for specific things, such as client files, supplies, books, calendar, briefcase, and appointment book.
Place your most frequently accessed files nearest your work desk.
Place peripherals and hardware where you can reach them without crossing the room.
Secure cables off the floor. Label them, so you always know what they are and to which equipment they connect.

Work anywhere
Wherever you are, keep your works flowing.

Create a portable office 
Have an “on the go” system ready to roll whenever and wherever you go. Even at a moment’s notice, you can always have your schedule, work plan, and appointments list handy—in the car or however you travel.

Get set up for mobility
Keep your critical information at hand by using a PDA (personal digital assistant). These devices have become mainstream and have the functionality of a computer but are compact enough to throw in a briefcase, handbag, or pocket (e.g., iPhone, SmartPhone). This mobility can also be done with a laptop, which can be set up so you can work offline on your email, and once you hook up to the Internet it will synch, send, and reconcile your email.

Through Microsoft Outlook, you can synchronize your task list, calendar, and address book to your home computer using Microsoft Exchange.   However, assess your true needs before you purchase. Keep it simple.

Use the same organizing methods
Wherever you work—at the office or at home—consistency simplifies your thought process.  Use the same system.

Unclutter your brain. Let organizing do the work for you…so you do not have to try to remember what you were doing or where you put something.

An inefficient work-space is seldom life threatening, but it still hurts us on the job. Studies show that each year 1.8 million workers develop injuries related to ergonomic factors.

That translates into an annual productivity cost of more than $60 billion. The personal cost is even greater. A messy office hampers our job performance, robs us of our confidence, and prevents us from spending valuable time with our family and friends.

In 1982, there was a criminology theory called “broken windows theory.” The theory was about the effects of urban disorder and vandalism on crime and anti-social behavior. You know—park a car in a nice neighborhood and chances are no one will hurt it. Throw a brick through the windshield, however, and the car is likely to be vandalized. That’s the broken window theory. And that’s also the power of image and respect.

What about your workplace? What message are you sending out about your office? That you’re competent and efficient? Or that you’re disorganized and out of control?

Source:
www.annemcgurty.com
480-442-2014
Lost In Your Own Office:  Tips for Getting Organized

Everyone Doesn't Have to Know You're Still in Your Jammies. How to Be More Productive Working from Home

These days more and more people are working from home.  When I first started my business consulting practice in 2002, I thought I had to get dressed up before I hit my home office so I could "get in the mood" and feel professional.  Flexibility today is the name of the game when working at home for maximum business productivity.  I recently was interviewed for an article with Forbes.com for my expertise on being productive while working at home.  Read on . . .

There’s a lot to be said for working from home. The commute is a breeze, the kitchen is stocked and you can take meetings in your sweats. But is telecommuting more productive than working from an office?

For the last three years, Lauren Libert has been one of the estimated 67% Americans that the 2014 National Study of Employers reports is spending some amount of time each week telecommuting. A business development director for North Carolina-based N2 Publishing, Libert works full-time from her home office in northern New Jersey. The benefits?  “I have total flexibility about when and how I get my job done. I make my own hours and I don’t have to deal with the distractions that often come with working in a large office,” says Libert. “Of course, there are times when I miss the camaraderie of having co-workers close by. But at the end of the day, I get a lot more accomplished than if I had to commute to an office each day.”

Libert isn’t unusual. Experts point to numerous studies that demonstrate that people who work from home are on average more productive than other workers. They’ve also shown that telecommuting improves morale and reduces turnover.

In one recent study, Stanford professor of economics Nicholas Bloom teamed up with Ctrip, China’s largest travel agency, to test whether telecommuters were more or less productive than employees who came into the office. About 250 workers volunteered for the experience; half were randomly chosen to work at home for a nine-month period and half were in the office. The results, which appeared in a January 2014 Harvard Business Review article, To Raise Productivity, Let More Employees Work From Home, showed that home-based employees were 13.5% more productive than office workers; they also were sick less often and reported being happier and quit less frequently.

While the benefits of telecommuting are clear, working from home has its challenges, according to productivity expert Anne McGurty. McGurty is the president and founder of the Arizona-based consulting and coaching firm, Strategize and Organize. “There’s much to be desired about working from home, but even if you have managers and coworkers you’re accountable to, there are still temptations that can easily sap your productivity and motivation. These can make telecommuting difficult for many,” says McGurty. “If you’re not careful, they can also hurt your career.”

To make working from home a win-win for you and your employer, McGurty suggests 5 tips that can help you get ahead and stay ahead.

1.       Get a room. It might sound obvious, but having a designated workspace in your home is essential. “Some people think they can set up “shop” on the kitchen table or plop on the sofa, open a laptop and work. In my experience, that’s a recipe for distraction.” explains McGurty. “You need an organized space in your apartment or home that allows you to keep your works space and your home separate.”

2.       Keep it professional. Another important tip for staying productive? Treat your home office like a business. “Just because you’re working from what used to be the storage closet off your family room, doesn’t mean the same rules governing an office don’t apply,” says McGurty. “Ban barking dogs and playing children from your work space and keep your desk and work area organized; it’ll help create the right environment for getting things done. A clutter-free environment (and computer desktop) frees up space and is also easier to manage.

Get in the habit of putting “stuff” in the right place. “The average worker wastes six weeks a year retrieving misplaced information on office and computer files,” says McGurty. “Set up a system for organizing information and then use it. If you put stuff in the right place, rather than simply shoving it aside or dumping it onto your hard drive, you’ll be able to access what you need, when you need it.” She also urges telecommuters to be professional in how they handle and store sensitive work information. “It’s important to adhere to the same confidentiality rules that would apply if you worked at the home office. Keep a shredder handy to properly dispose of all sensitive documents and properly maintain all computer and cloud files.”

3.       Get ready, get set, go. One of the hidden dangers of telecommuting is procrastination. It can creep into your day because, when you work from home, it can seem like you have all the time in the world to get things done. But don’t let the clock get the better of you. “Working from home takes self-discipline, and that means getting things done in the right time,” says McGurty. “One way to keep your day on schedule is to set a daily start and stop time for working. The structure of a routine will help you avoid procrastination and boost your productivity,” says McGurty. “If you’re always wondering where the time went, consider using one of the many free online apps, such as RescueTime, to help you track your activities.”

McGurty also advises telecommuters to plan out their day the night before. “Whether you keep a written list or use a computer-based program like Outlook, creating daily goals gives structure to an otherwise flexible workday, helping you to hit your important deadlines.  And to avoid getting mired in day-to-day details, be sure to include at least one productive long-term goal-oriented task each day.”

4.       Play to your wheelhouse. As a corollary to setting priorities, McGurty also suggests getting more tactical about when you actually work. “One of the bonuses of telecommuting is having the freedom to schedule your time.  If you’re a morning person, use that time to tackle your most important goals and leave emails and other tasks for later in the day. If you have more energy in the afternoon, flip the order,” says McGurty. “Either way, keep your schedule consistent to promote concentration and motivation.” Some other ideas to ratchet-up your productivity? McGurty suggests getting a change of scenery once in the while. “There’s a reason why places like Starbucks and Panera are filled with people typing away on their computers during office hours. Leaving your house for an hour or two can do wonders for your focus,” explains McGurty.

5.       Don’t forget “me” time. It can be difficult to disengage when working from home, but don’t let that stop you from maintaining a healthy work-life balance. McGurty suggests setting clear boundaries around family and work time. She also encourages workers to join a gym or club, get involved in a hobby or interest that gets you out the door, and/or take regular vacations to avoid falling into a rut and to recharge your mind and body.

Staying focused can be tricky when working from home. The key is to develop habits and rituals that tell you brain (and you’re family if that’s relevant to your situation), “I’m at work now.” After working 9 to 5 at a company for more than 20 years, Libert says that telecommuting is the way to go, assuming you have the option. “Sure, working from home tests my discipline. But for me, the flexibility and quality of life it provides is far greater than the challenge of managing any occasional lapse in focus or motivation I may encounter along the way.”

Source:
www.annemcgurty.com
www.fb.com/strategizeandorganize
http://www.forbes.com/sites/northwesternmutual/2014/08/05/working-from-home-5-tips-for-being-more-productive-remotely/
480-442-2014

The Physical Space of Our Offices Affect Productivity

Squeezed into a corner?

Maximize whatever space you have.

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” How true, not just for hotels but for our offices as well.

Studies have found that the physical space in which we work affects satisfaction, productivity, and even learning. Yet few of us take time to strategize and organize our workplaces or our homes.

Imagine an office where you show up every day and feel excited each day to get started because your desk is inviting you to sit down. Your chair is ergonomically correct, you have all the latest technology, and you have comfortable seats for your guests. When your office is right, you will feel comfortable and energized. When you check into your office each morning, you will have the right keys for being organized.

Here are a few keys and a few simple steps, ranging from the right workspace system to ergonomic-friendly products that can help businesses boost employee productivity and ease.

Be ergonomically correct

• Keep a massage ball handy to free your hands from stress. People performing repetitive activities on a keyboard or an adding machine can injure their hands. A stress ball will help you exercise your hands in new ways, rather than just typing.
• Position your computer monitor twenty-four to thirty-seven inches away from you with the screen at or below eye level to reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.
• If you are on the phone a lot, use a headset or a quality speakerphone so that you can listen and write notes at the same time.

Create an at-home workspace

• Designate a spot in your home to do your business and money activities such as Internet research, writing thank-you notes, managing your schedule, and paying bills. 
• Always do work activities in that space and only that space.  Then you’ll always know where everything is.

Arrange your main office

• Arrange your office furniture for maximum use of the space.
• Create a specific location for specific things, such as client files, supplies, books, calendar, briefcase, and appointment book.
• Place your most frequently accessed files nearest your work desk.
• Place peripherals and hardware where you can reach them without crossing the room.
• Secure cables off the floor. Label them, so you always know what they are and to which equipment they connect.

Work anywhere

• Wherever you are, keep your works flowing.  

Create a portable officeHave an “on the go” system ready to roll whenever and wherever you go. Even at a moment’s notice, you can always have your schedule, work plan, and appointments list handy—in the car or however you travel.

Get set up for mobility

• Keep your critical information at hand by using a PDA (personal digital assistant). These devices have the functionality of a computer but are compact enough to throw in a briefcase, handbag, or pocket (e.g., iPhone, Galaxy). This mobility can also be done with a laptop or tablet, which can be set up so you can work offline on your email, and once you hook up to the Internet it will synch, send, and reconcile your email.
• Through Microsoft Outlook, you can synchronize your task list, calendar, and address book to your home computer using Microsoft Exchange.   However, assess your true needs before you purchase. Keep it simple.

Use the same organizing methods

Unclutter your brain. Let organizing do the work for you…so you do not have to try to remember what you were doing or where you put something.  

An inefficient workspace is seldom life threatening, but it still hurts us on the job. Studies show that each year 1.8 million workers develop injuries related to ergonomic factors.

That translates into an annual productivity cost of more than $60 billion. The personal cost is even greater. A messy office hampers our job performance, robs us of our confidence, and prevents us from spending valuable time with our family and friends.

In 1982, there was a criminology theory called “broken windows theory.” The theory was about the effects of urban disorder and vandalism on crime and anti-social behaviour. You know—park a car in a nice neighbourhood and chances are no one will hurt it. Throw a brick through the windshield, however, and the car is likely to be vandalized. That’s the broken window theory. And that’s also the power of image and respect.

What about your workplace? What message are you sending out about your office? That you’re competent and efficient? Or that you’re disorganized and out of control?

Credit and Source:  This blog post is an excerpt from Anne McGurty's book, Lost In Your Own Office, available on amazon.com.

http://www.strategizeandorganize.com  480-442-2014

http://www.twitter.com/stratorg