Organize Your Work Space--Part Two

Writer Wednesday

We started this topic last week, stressing the importance of an organized work space to make you more efficient and more proficient. Here are more tips for organizing your work space.

• Group like items and files together. Keep research together, keep submissions together, keep files for writer's groups together, keep banking info together, keep promo materials together, etc.
• Label all files and containers, even if they are see-through. This will save you a lot of time because you won't have to open up every box or file folder to see what's inside. Write in large, dark letters. Don't use blue ink on blue folders, or a pencil for large labels that will be up on a shelf. If you find yourself moving things around, use removable labels that can transfer with your creative whims
• Review your stock of office supplies every week to see what you are running low on. You don't want to run out of paper or printer ink the night before your deadline, or stamps before a promo mailing. Keep a list of things you need to buy where you will see it when it's time to order or go shopping. This could be a notebook or sticky note.
• Before discarding any financial files, or tax-related items, check with your accountant. He will tell you which supporting documents you need, and which can be destroyed.
• Check with your attorney before discarding any legal documents. Most have to be kept for as long as you are in business.
• Always shred any papers or files that contain personal information such as your social security number, credit card numbers and birth date.