Case studies

Speech Pathology Practice with 20+ years of paper in the Office Manager’s domain, and about a dozen other rooms in need of major editing.

Problem:

A problem to have for any business is to be too busy to organize. This large Washington, DC speech pathology practice housed about a dozen small (and not so small) organizing projects under one roof.

Solution:

Three of us spent the first 9 hours digging our beloved Office Manager out of 20 years of paper, some filed, most not. As always, relatively little was left to file. She now has an open filing system inches away from her, one fewer bookcase, empty bookshelves, and an exquisitely manicured accounting drawer. We later sorted and grouped categories of toys and books in the conference room/computer lab, mapped out action plans for the contractors’ offices, and edited a career’s worth of teaching materials from the owner’s office. To ensure self-sustainability of the results, we even outlined weekly and twice yearly accountability and maintenance sessions to be held by everyone in the practice.

Retired University Professor and Author who couldn’t focus on writing her second book in a room bursting at the seams with decades of paper.

Problem:

She had been preparing to write her second book for years, but felt too stuck to type those first words in her cluttered home office of 20+ years. Hundreds of books, a covered desk and floor, and 30 years worth of files left little room to think. On our first day, she told me "I don’t like change" and "I’ll go through the file drawers on my own."

Solution:

Over 30 bags of paper recycling later, she shocked herself at how good change can feel! I pointed out that her office was full of history at a time when she needs it to support her big step forward. We made a rule that the office would only house books and paper relevant to the new book. As we talked and sorted, I even compiled a list of keywords that she is using to organize the chapters. Her most current papers are within arm’s reach either in crates, drawers, or step racks. We even rearranged for the first time in 20 years! She describes being in the new office as feeling like "gliding."

Freelance Photographer who traveled too much to set up a proper office.

Problem:

With her being our of the country more days than she is home, she never had time to set up shop in her new home. File drawers were empty, while piles on the desktop were growing. Unopened boxes of paper from the move over a year ago were too daunting to tackle alone. Camera parts were everywhere.

Solution:

Being a visual person, she insisted that the new systems be beautiful. We sorted the boxes one by one, pulling the trash from the keepers. From the papers we kept, we designed two systems in two file drawers: personal and professional. Active papers were kept in a desktop system. She still is limited on time, but since everything has a place, she can quickly clean up with little effort.

Sommelier with many shelves and files worth of wine related paper & publications

Problem:

On the surface the office appeared quite organized. I have to admit that initially I wasn’t sure how we were going to fill the time. Behind the scenes though, were overflowing shelves, cabinets, drawers, and closets full of paper and notebooks.

Solution:

Boxes and boxes of paper recycling later, her office now has room to breathe. I am most proud of her filing system for her numerous events. Future wine events are kept separate from past events she’s led. Past events are organized chronologically. She also has a series of binders that allow her to put her hands on any piece of training material or wine list.

Independent Marketing Consultant who never could focus in her home office.

Problem:

She found it hard to sit still in her office and needed to set up a space that would support her in securing more clients. As we worked, we found stashes of old paper hiding under the furniture and in the closet. Two year’s worth of business receipts were taking up precious real estate on her desktop.

Solution:

She was actually left with surprisingly little paper. Her 3 new paper systems are: a bin of archives in the closet, a drawer for her main client, and 3 colorful open file boxes on the bookshelf. All active files are within arm’s reach. Her office now only houses material that is relevant to the vision for her business.

Attorney with paper piles that measured in feet.

Problem:

When I visited for the first time, she had to clear a place on the chair for me. I almost couldn’t see the floor and literally almost couldn’t see her on the other side of the paper stacks! Her inbox had literally toppled over.

Solution:

I try not to be biased, but this was one of my favorite jobs to date. We spent a solid 6 hours throwing away paper. I’ve never seen anyone make decisions so quickly about what to keep and what to toss. As soon as we had some space on the floor, we lined up new interim piles along the wall for the papers to keep. Some were categories to distribute outside the office. Of the papers to be kept in the office, we decided what should be kept within arm’s reach or across the room. Her office now only houses papers that are relevant to current cases and she can effortlessly put her hands on any document she needs. She even has a series of in-boxes, divided by type of action to take. The best part: a vast expanse of clear desktop and floor!

Owner of a lingerie company whose attic home office was about 9 parts kid’s playroom, 1 part office.

Problem:

Hip, sexy, feminine, and luxurious are words that come to mind when I think of this company and its pieces. None of these, however, described the state of this client’s office.  Lingerie samples were mixed with stuffed animals and building blocks.  Papers were mixed with markers and coloring books.

Solution:

After declaring her corner of the floor a "no toy zone" and tossing the outdated paper, we realized that she actually had very little paper to organize. Her active papers have one designated pocket on the wall. All clippings from past publicity are in one flat box. I even drew plans for a custom built-in desk that she had installed later.  Each and every supply, marketing material, and product sample has its own assigned cubby. She finally has an office that reflects the essence of her business.

Organizational Development Consultant with years worth of professional publications and no way to locate a specific one when she needed it.

Problem:

This was another case of an office that looked quite organized on the surface. Her file drawers though revealed a sea of old folders with over a decade’s worth of jumbled articles and conference materials. She had a rich professional history, but wasn’t able to put her hands on specific pieces of her past.

Solution:

We designed a functioning article library by meticulously sorting one folder at a time, separating out the trash. Her filing categories now mirror her 5 or so areas of expertise. Labels now are consistent, so at quick glance she can see the author, title, and specialty. Past conferences and workshops are separated and organized chronologically.  We even created a hand-out library that she can access when designing her own workshops.

Life Coach and Clothing Line Rep with a colorful creative office, and at least a dozen unfinished attempts at creating systems.

Problem:

This office was almost overly inspiring if that is possible to imagine. It was the first time I took systems away, rather than added them.  Pretty trays, baskets, bins, drawers, and boxes served as excuses for systems. Everything was attractively containerized.  Nothing was grouped.

Solution:

We realized that her interests could be separated into 6 groups: writing, crafts, finances, clothing line, coaching clients and education/being coached. These were the categories that we kept within arm’s reach.  We used a rolling file cart and open shelves to create separate stations for each of these. Everything else was banished to the filing cabinet. Containers now serve as true boundaries, holding one category each. Her desktop has one step rack, one silver tray/inbox, and plenty of room to spread out and create.

Speech Pathologist who was buried under insurance claim forms, client forms, and contractor files.

Problem:

The floor of this large home office was covered in paper, while the file drawers housed outdated information. Her small desk could barely hold her laptop and a step rack. She urgently needed a flow system for handling the many insurance claim steps and incoming client information from her many contractors.

Solution:

We started by auditing her desktop step rack, moved to the floor, then to the piles on top of the filing cabinet, and finally into the file drawers.  As we sorted, we started a box of old client files to archive. This gave us more room to create new client files. Her desktop now has a series of folder stations that address the various steps a client or contractor document takes before it is relegated to a drawer.  All other active files are in an open rolling file cart.

Past Clients Include:

• Art Historian
• Acupuncturist
• Counselors
• Fine Art Curator and Gallery Owner
• Lobbyist
• Realtors
• School Teacher
• Visual Artists
• Writer
• Wholesale Product Designer and Distributor