Office Organizing Strategies for Happier Holidays

With the holidays approaching, it’s inevitable that your team will be requesting time off from work. Managing your staff, getting your projects done while also trying to organize your own holiday schedule can be difficult. How will you prepare and ensure that required tasks are still being done? All you need is a plan, and that’s what this NYC Professional Office Organizer has for you. Here are my office organizing tips to help you coordinate schedules so that all essential work will get done during this holiday season.

Schedule a planning meeting for your entire staff. Before the holiday season gets into full swing, schedule an office meeting to discuss logistics. Note each staff member’s schedule on a shared calendar. Being able to see the entire month is helpful and will ensure that you have sufficient staff coverage daily to accomplish important tasks.

Prioritize and delegate as a team. At the meeting, discuss the tasks that MUST be done and note those as the priority. Delegate those tasks to colleagues who will be working during the holiday season. Also note the tasks that are less pressing and that could wait until after the holidays when everyone is back at work. This creates less stress in your office as the expectations of tasks to be completed will be more manageable.

Write everything down. Without a written record of your plan, it’s easy for tasks to fall through the cracks. Written or digital, make sure that your plan clearly identifies those tasks which need to be completed and the individuals responsible for getting them done. Then make sure that everyone has access to this plan so they can reference it as needed. You can do this easily through Cloud sharing in your office.

Create an organized strategy for your day. If you are handling tasks for a coworker, try this organizing tip: work on the delegated tasks first thing in the morning. The task can be checked off your list and allows you to focus the rest of the day on your own to-do list. This not only keeps your stress level under control but also prevents the possibility of the important delegated tasks not being completed because there was no time or they were simply overlooked.

The key during the holidays is not to work harder, but to work smarter. The objective is not to overload those who are taking on the extra tasks, but to organize the tasks and the schedule so that the members of your team are supporting each other as best they can. Keep it simple and make sure everything is written down so that your team can enjoy a stress-free season. For more office organizing tips and hands on strategies for your office through the holidays and beyond, reach out to this NYC Professional Office Organizer!