Mom made you do things as a child on a daily basis that you still do (or try to do) today: Sit up straight. Chew with your mouth closed. Look both ways before you cross the street. Use the magic word. Eat your vegetables. Brush your teeth before you go to bed. She taught us values: Honesty is the best policy. Practice makes perfect. If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Sometimes, mom would have to kick it up a notch to make her point: If you keep crossing your eyes, they’ll freeze that way! Don’t make me come over there! Do you live in a barn? You just wait until your father gets home!
The lessons we learned from mom can be applied to just about any aspect of our lives, including our professional lives – more specifically, our workspace. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are three important “momisms” that can help you become more organized at work.
Clean Your Room
Don’t just throw everything under the bed, pile it in the closet or toss it in your little brother’s room. Mom taught you better and she won’t let you get away with that anyway. Just spend 20 minutes in your office each week putting things away, throwing away what you don’t need and analyzing what supplies you need to restore order to your workspace. Weekly maintenance is much easier than starting from scratch every time things get out of hand, whether you’re organizing your office, trying to get in shape, taking care of the lawn or straightening up your room. And you would be so grounded if you only cleaned your room every few months anyway.
Guaranteed for life? Now that's a deal a mom can get behind!
Do Your Homework
The most common first instinct is to check the office manager’s storage closet and use whatever is there. You’ll probably find old file folders and hanging files that collapse under the weight of more than a handful of documents. Cracked and wobbly paper tray towers are probably available. This may conjure up two more pearls of wisdom from mom. Never settle and don’t take shortcuts.
Instead of trying to make do with everyone else’s leftovers, do your homework. You’ll find that PolyMagnifile Hanging Files are the world’s only hanging files with a lifetime guarantee. Box bottoms range from 1/2” all the way up to 5” to give a sturdy, secure home your health benefits and retirement plan paperwork that you didn’t actually read but need to store somewhere.
Keep 25 active files in less space than it takes to keep an in-box on your desk.
You’ll also find that you can eliminate piles of files from your desk with the StationMate StepUp File, making all files visible and easy to access. That’s just the beginning of what doing your homework can accomplish.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
So you didn’t get the big office or even the big cubicle. There are worse tragedies in life, like when your next door neighbor got a Cabbage Patch Kid or completed a full set of Star Wars action figures before you did. Mom would tell you to make the best out of an imperfect situation.
Privacy and function all in one.
Instead of complaining about the size of your space, make the best use of the space you have. From Outpost Desktop Privacy Panels and Rail Systems to Outpost Monitor Arms and Desktop Platforms, solutions are out there that will make your workspace more functional and look bigger while giving it a splash of modern style. You’ll have the best looking lemonade stand in the office.
What Would Mom Say?
Take a good hard look at your office, cubicle or desk and ask yourself, “What would mom say?” Would she smile reassuringly or frown disapprovingly? Would you get sent to your room or would you be rewarded with ice cream? In honor of mom, make it a point to become more organized. Then call your mom, wife or grandmother and tell her your love her.
What are your favorite “momisms” that can help you be more productive at work?
For more information or to buy these products:
PolyMagniFiles, black with either black or assorted color lenses
Outpost Privacy panels and posts (plus Outpost aluminum rails)
About Ultimate Office
Ultimate Office provides innovative organization and storage solutions for your business and home office. Our passion is for taking the ordinary and making it not just extraordinary, but Ultimate.
