In my years as a teacher, organization was something that was
lost on me. I was the teacher with stacks of papers on her desk,
boxes of papers behind her desk (fondly called the "Fire
Hazard"), and stuff piled on the tables around. Since leaving
that profession, and entering the world of business, I have
learned that organization is my friend. Piles drive me nuts and
boxes with papers are no longer around because I discovered why
filing cabinets are there- and to my amazement, it is not
decoration. One important place that many people don't think
about having organized is their computer desktop.
Have you ever needed to quickly pull up that file on your
computer, but it takes you forever to find it because of the
millions of files cluttering your desktop (computer desktop that
is)? My husband is a neat freak. He can't stand the kitchen to
be a mess, clothes to be on the floor, and my daughter's toys
that are over running our house is driving him crazy. Yet it
completely amazes me that his computer desktop is full of files.
His desktop drives ME crazy! I have gotten the art of organizing
my desktop down, and now I would like to share my strategy with
you for getting your desktop organized so that next time a
client calls, you know exactly where their file is!
1. Have as few folders on your desktop as possible. Break them
into main categories. I use my computer for personal and
business, so I have 5 folder's on my desktop. "Patty's" all my
personal files go in there. "Patty's Backup" for my husband to
know what I want him to back up each week. "Patty's Quicken" you
guessed it-for my bookkeeping files. "Julie's Shortcut" a
client's folder that I want quick access to as I am currently
working on a project for her. "VA" my most important folder-my
business folder. The rest of the tips will be how to break up
your main category folders.
2. Put all the files on your desktop into one of your main
categories-there should be NO FILES ON YOUR DESKTOP!!! Only
folders.
3. Inside your desktop folders, break the items into
categories, and create a folder for each category.
Examples-Clients, Paperwork, Projects, Advertisement,
Subcontractors-to name a few.
4. Then go through your main folder and put each file into the
category they best fit.
5. Now, open up those category folders-do you still see a ton
of files? Break them into subfolders. For example-Clients- Make
a folder for each client so their information is easily
accessible.
6. Still need to break it down-Take each clients folders, and
create subfolders-paperwork, projects, invoices, etc.
Continue with this process until every file belongs to a folder,
and every folder is easy to navigate. The goal is when you open
a folder-you know immediately what is in it. You will find that
it is much easer to get to work because you are not distracted
by all the items on your desktop, and when that client calls,
you do not spend 5 minutes hunting for the file you need to
answer his/her question. Take time to get one of the most
important pieces of equipment in your office organized so that
your office runs even more efficiently.
© 2005 JERPAT
You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in
print, as long as the text and byline remain unedited. A
courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
About the author:
Patty Benton is the owner of JERPAT Virtual Assistants and
JERPAT Web Design,
www.moretime4u.org, which provides affordable
administrative and web design support to coaches, small
businesses, religious organizations, and realtors.
Additionally, Patty is a coach for new entrepreneurs interested
in venturing into the virtual assistance industry. She has
developed a program that is affordable for all. Visit her
coaching site at
www.virtualvacoach
