The Office Gal

Simple thought. Easy enough to implement. From large corporations to a small one-person home office, we all makes waste. Soda cans for that 2 AM wake-me-up; our V-8 plastic bottle for our veggie fix sitting in front of the computer, all the way to the report that printed twice on the same side, waste is all around us, and it can be recycled. The most you need to do, walk to the container and toss it in.

Some great recycling containers are offered through Design Within Reach . Soft, reusable bags are waterproof - great for those soda cans - and are easily washed out. The set of 4 bags are color coded for quick recognition, as well as give you printable reference tags that can be placed in the front plastic windows on each bag. Another great feature is all four bags have Velcro tabs that can keep the bags secure to each other and in place.

The set of four recycling totes is quite inexpensive at $22.00. Think about it? This small amount of money will help keep your recyclables out of landfills that will most likely never be broken down. This helps to create a cleaner Earth now and for future use.

Now, for transporting your recyclable. For a home-office you might be offered recycling pick-up by your local waste company (regular trash). Call your local waste company or review on your city’s web site for information on their recycling program. Small branch offices to larger companies will most likely have to haul their recyclables to the local recycling center for drop off. However, pick-up might be offered depending on the amount you recycle each week, bi-weekly, or month. Speak with a representative.

Don’t forget! Recycling paper is great, but be smart and shred your information. Even if you don’t think it is pertinent, shred it. A convenient size shredder is perfect for the one-man team to a small office and can be purchased at any supply store. For mid-size to large offices, a mobile shredding service might be the right option.

This is an original The Office Gal post.

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If you believe you are disorganized or maybe you have way too many binder clips, then this is a great day to be here! I have rounded up some great links that I have read - and not just about binder clips - but in general that will really help pull you together, get you organized, ready to prioritize your tasks, and make today and every future day successful.

• Remember Day 1 @ Management Craft.
• Permanent Link to Bounce! Ignore the Fear and Go from Failure to Success! @ Life Learning Today.
• Introducing A New Way Of Prioritizing @ Organize It.
• The Holy Grail: How to Outsource the Inbox and Never Check Email Again @ 4 Hour Work Week.
• 8 Ninja Uses for Binder Clips @ The Cranking Widgets Blog.
• Links and Resources for the Chronically Disorganized @ 43 Folders.
• 10 Misconceptions the Self-Employed Deal With Daily @ LifeDev Productivity for Creative People.

Do you have a link that you feel would be great to share with readers of The Office Gal? Then contact me and I will include it in the next link love post.

This is an original The Office Gal post.

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Whether your home office is where you conduct your business or just where you go to pay your bills, it is important to have a filing cabinet that keeps your paperwork and records in order. A good filing cabinet can save you time and money through proper organization. Plus, it can keep your office clutter free and offer you storage space.

Any home office has three types of filing in which at least one filing cabinet is necessary. Knowing how much space you will need for each type of filing will help you determine what type of filing cabinet you should purchase. Most home offices will have archive files, current files, and active files. Whether you are using your filing cabinet for your household or business records, your paperwork will fall into any one of these categories.

Knowing how much space you will need to store this paperwork will also help you find the right filing cabinet. A small filing cabinet usually comes with one or two filing drawers while others come with four to six drawers. Based upon the type of business you conduct in your home office, you may even need filing drawers that are capable of holding legal size files. Once you know approximately how many file drawers you may need, you also need to make an assessment of your available office space.

How much space is available in your home office will help you determine if you need a vertical or horizontal file cabinet. A horizontal file cabinet will be longer, but take up more wall space, while a vertical file cabinet can squeeze into smaller spaces. There are also file cabinets that fit under tables and desks that can be space savers.

How you place your file cabinets is also important in choosing the right file cabinet for your home office. Make sure you place your file cabinet so that open drawers do not pose risks to people walking in or around your home office. Also, you will want to be sure your file cabinet is in a space where the drawers can open and close easily.

Once you know the purpose and space you have available for your file cabinet, you can then begin to focus on style and craftsmanship. There are a variety of styles available from the traditional metal filing cabinets to well-crafted wood filing cabinets. When you shop for your filing cabinet, you will want to make sure it is constructed well so that it stands the test of time, as well as fitting well and looking right in your space.

This article was originally posted at and written by Matt Boyce of Peerfear.org.

For some fun, funky office filing, try the Iris Filing Cabinet. These stylish cabinets are built with two or three drawers and the drawers are mixed between supply and filing. You can purchase in one of the four colors offered - black, green, orange, and silver - as well as determine if you want a lock or not.

The downside that I found on these cutesy filing units, they start at $725.00. The upside, they are metal and will last longer than you, so the high price could very well be worth it in the long run.

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So, another Monday, another list of links to peruse. Today, I have added a few links from not the ‘normal’ list of blogs I review. Definitely keepers though and I hope you enjoy them.

There is one link - Health.com - that really has absolutely nothing to do with the office or being productive. I added the link since it is about sleep and sleep is one important tool to have in order to be productive. So, it ties in - after about six degrees!

Hopefully you will be able to take away some great information from the links provided. Possibly find the one thing that will snap you into production? Hmm? Well, regardless of your productivity level, or your procrastination level - that’s me! - enjoy your reading.

• Top Time-wasters for Web Workers (And How to Cure Them) @ Web Worker Daily.
• When Being Helpful Is A Time Waster @ Network Blogging Tips.
• In or out? Working at and away from home @ Freelance Sprout.
• How To Get The Best Out Of Working For A Bad Boss @ Daily Career Connection.
• 10 Ways to Go From Tired to Terrific @ Health.com. - so not office related, but can definitely make you a better office companion.
• Reader Question - Organized Work Desk @ Productivity501.
• Excellence - Perfection vs. Efficiency @ Productivity501.
• Are You Not Setting Personal Goals Due To Uncertainty? @ Persistence Unlimited.

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Is Your Desktop Distracting?
Hey,is that you behind that monstrous assortment of stuff cluttering your desk? Most people don’t even realize it, but a disorganized desk can cause tremendous frustration and lost productivity that can mean staying late at the office. Fact is, a messy desk makes it extremely difficult to go about your daily routine.

To follow are some practical suggestions for avoiding desktop distractions:

1) File immediately. Anyone who visits our news articles section regularly knows that we cannot say this enough: avoid pile-ups! We know it can be difficult to keep up with your filing when you get really busy, but to keep your desk neat and orderly, its imperative that you don’t allow paperwork to grow into unmanageable stacks.

2) Use the tops of credenzas and lateral file cabinets. These pieces of organizing furniture can be found in almost every office. And even if you work in a cubicle, there’s probably a flat-top credenza or cabinet nearby, providing space where you can store such things as binders and catalogs…rather than letting them clutter your desktop.

3) Utilize shelves. This is another smart location for storing things that might otherwise cause confusion by taking up space on your desk. A shelf, not your desk, is the proper place for items such as phone books, magazines and videos.

4) Create drop spots. Perhaps a basket designed to hang on your wall, or some other kind of receptacle to temporarily drop memos, notes and other small papers…keeping those kinds of easy-to-lose documents off your desk until you have time to look at them.

5) Try not to get too personal. Minimize the urge to clutter your desk with an excessive amount of personal items, such as photographs and knick-knacks. Of course, its great to have some of these in your workspace, just don’t overdo it so that your desk is covered with them.

6) Accessorize. Office organizers, such as file sorters with different compartments, and plastic bins that can hold almost anything, are ideal for storing a wide array of office materials that might instead accumulate on your desk.

This article was originally posted at and written by Leslie Servenio of American Folder Company.

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