Staying Organized When Your Co-workers Aren’t
It’s hard enough to stay organized in the best of circumstances, but if you are working in a home office with a messy spouse or in a space with co-workers who aren’t organized, it seems near impossible! With these tips from your NYC Professional Office Organizer and some initiative, you and your co-workers can eliminate the clutter and boost productivity – a win/win for both of you!
The key to any relationship is communication. If you aren’t talking with your co-workers about the organizing struggles present in your space, your frustration will continually increase, and nothing will be resolved. A more effective approach would be to start the dialogue and discuss why it’s important to you to work in a more organized space. Discuss the benefits related to productivity and efficiency as well as ways you can work together to reach your goals.
Lead by example. Just like in every other relationship in your life, you must lead by example. If you share with your spouse or co-worker that it’s important for you to work in an organized space, then you must walk the talk. If you are adding to the clutter by not putting supplies and materials away, then you are sending a mixed message. Be sure to consistently demonstrate your commitment to staying organized.
Learn how to compromise. This is key. Not everyone’s brain works the same way. For example, a process that you might think makes a lot of sense for a file labeling system could be perceived as overly complicated by someone else. Share information concerning what would work best for each of you and come up with a solution that allows you both to quickly file and retrieve documents.
Make it easy to stay organized. I’ve shared this point before… it’s a must especially in this situation! If you want your office mate to stay organized, then it needs to be easy for them to do so. This means having a clearly labeled home for everything in your office and a clear filing system in place. If the process is too complicated, the piles will collect and grow. If you can quickly recycle that agreement draft, you are more likely to do so instead of parking it on your desk or the floor.
Hire a professional. Sometimes navigating a complex situation between you and your spouse or you and your co-worker might be too much for you to handle. In this case, bring in an impartial third party who doesn’t have any emotional ties to your clutter or systems. Hire a Professional Office Organizer to come in and help you set up customized systems that work for both of you.
Staying organized when you work with disorganized people can definitely be a challenge. By applying these office organizing strategies, you’ll be on your way to an organized workspace in no time. For more hands-on support, reach out to your NYC Professional Office Organizer today.