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Begin 2009 'with an organised office'

man at messy deskPeople running small businesses should ensure they begin the new year in the most organised manner possible, a sector commentator has asserted.

Entrepreneurs should make certain they begin 2009 with every advantage they can, a sector commentator has suggested.

Writing for the Courier-Post, Rhonda Abrams explains one way to do this is to ensure that offices are as organised as possible.

She suggests those running small businesses head into the office with two rubbish bins - one for things to be thrown away and the other for recyclable papers.

When picking up pieces of paper, entrepreneurs should decide whether it is to be kept, thrown away or recycled, Ms Abrams suggests, noting that certain documents should be shredded - such as those that contain confidential information.

Making use of electronic equipment can also be a way to reduce clutter, as press cuttings and articles clipped from magazines can be scanned into a computer and the hard copy disposed of.

Business cards and important addresses can be fed into a database to make them easier to find, sort and search through.

Computer equipment can also be thoroughly cleaned, she suggests, explaining that old files - and those which are not needed on a regular basis - should be transferred to a portable hard drive, while hard drives can be defragmented to improve their efficiency.

Making such organisational enhancements may well help firms to cope with the ongoing effects of the global economic turbulence in the most effective manner possible.

"So clean off your desk - you'll feel better and more energetic about facing the new year," Ms Abrams concludes.

In other news, John Philpott, the chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, recently suggested people need to arm themselves with new skills to make the best of the current economic downturn.

  • Explore the range of IT qualifications available at learndirect - a great way to brush up or fill skills gaps in IT for employees.
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