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First, a client will see if you are organized or not, which will give him a good idea of the kind of work you will do for him.
An organized office also helps you keep your business running smoothly. Being organized will also help you to save time.
First-clean out your paper files. Store old files in file boxes. Put them in an attic or store room...a place where you won't trip over them once a week. Make sure your storage area is dry and watertight.
Now, go through your remaining files. Make new file folders, changing file names as necessary, or creating new files altogether. These should be put in a file cabinet. Your filing system is up to you, but it should be as simple as possible.
Put away supplies that you don't use everyday. Stationary, extra roles of tape, envelopes, etc. Put them neatly in a drawer out of the way, or on a shelf...out of the way, but still accessible. Try to avoid stacking different supplies on top of each other.
Invest in a bookcase for your reference books. This keeps the books in good shape, looks nice, and helps you categorize your reference books.
Create a trash file. This file should only be emptied once a month. Papers that you are nervous about throwing out should go in this file. Then, if you don't need it within the month, you probably never will...throw it out.
Keep a rolodex for phone numbers and addresses. Don't leave this important information lying around written on scraps of paper. You should add new contacts to your rolodex at the end of every working day.
You need mail "boxes" or filing trays. One for outgoing mail, one for incoming, unread mail, one for mail to be filed, one for read mail that needs action. Make sure these trays are empty at the end of each day.
Once your office is set up in an organized fashion, you should keep it that way. You should have a maintenance schedule for organization. You can use the following example:
Quarterly
Clean out paper files. Clean out computer files. Compress data.
You will think of other ways to get and stay organized, based on your business practices and time allowances.
