The Office Gal

Buying large or non-popular office products can be a hassle. You can’t always find the item you need at your local national chain, like Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max – it either not offered or out of stock. So, where do you find the item you need in the time you will need it, without having to place special orders?

OfficeZone.com, an online office supply Web site offers those items that aren’t exactly daily supplies, but are still needed to help run a successful office. After reviewing the categories through OfficeZone.com the most common daily items I found were staplers and shredders. From a range of products that include book binding materials, money counting machines, security systems and equipment, all the way to printing supplies, if you have a need for an obscure item not offered locally, OfficeZone.com might have it.

One thing I did notice, OfficeZone.com‘s main page is a little crowded. It could be made a little less busy, but the page is still very usable. If you can’t immediately find what you need from the category listing, you can do a word search to find it right away. Another great tool is the online chat that is available to consumers. This helps to get answers right away that you might not be able to find.

What I do like about the front page is that all of the contact information for OfficeZone.com is right there. You don’t need to search out how to place your order, call a representative, or to email for support. You will also spot shipping information, how to obtain quotes, and various payment options right there. For a one-man team that is helpful because less time is spent searching and more time is spent on work.

Now, I know this supply site might not offer supplies and tools for everyone or every business, but it does offer some items that many might have never thought would be needed. All you need to do is take a browse around and see.

Are you the organized pile filer that knows exactly where every piece of paper is until you need it? I am too, but no need to worry, it is easy to convert your creative filing style to a simple, basic filing system.

Filing products galore can be found virtually everywhere, from national chains like Office Depot and Staples to your local office supply store. There are also a ton of web sites that offer a great amount of office supplies including furniture that is both stylish and functional.

Choosing the best filing system all depends on how you work. Do you like to keep current projects in front of you? Do you like to have a clean, uncluttered desk at the end of the day? Using your personal preferences will help you determine the best way to file to keep you current, yet uncluttered.

1. Choose your filing system. Using a desk filing system will keep current projects or client in front of you at all times. This will also allow for easy access to your files. Using a filing cabinet will help you to keep projects as you complete them, as well as archive older projects and clients that are hardly to never accessed. Make sure which ever system is chosen, will stand up to wear and tear and constant abuse from opening and shutting.

2. Location. You should be able to easily access your files, but not to the extent that your system is in your way; your system should not interfere with your work. Pick a location in the corner of your desk or under your desk, so files are kept close, but out of the way. If you use a cabinet for only archiving, you may want to keep it located in a basement, unseen.

3. Filing. Instead of filing throughout the day have a drop location where finalized projects and work can accumulate. Then once per week or month, take your drop location and file. If you notice you are spending too much time at your scheduled filing time, you may want to move to a more frequent filing schedule.

4. Review & Recycle. Pick a schedule, maybe every two or three months – more or less – and review your files. Decide what really should be kept, the rest can go through the recycle program – shred it and then take it to a local vet or recycling center.

5. Archive. Again, on a regular schedule, remove those files that are a must keep, but are no longer looked at and move them to a drawer or cabinet reserved for archived folders. This is the out-of-the-way cabinet kept in the basement, unseen.