Five must-haves for your office

This past weekend I ferried over to Vashon Island for a writing retreat with some friends.  The beach house we stayed at was gorgeous with a stunning view of the Puget Sound, and despite all the wine, we had a very productive retreat!

It was a great reminder of how much environment plays an important hand in business.  Take a look around – does your space help you be productive?  Do you feel inspired to tackle projects and get things done?  If you said no, check-out the five must-haves for every office to stay super productive and inspired everyday.

Five Must-Haves for Your Office:

1. Daily To-Do Lists. If you know me at all, you know I’m a huge fan of the to-do list.  It helps to organize your day and quiet the mind enough to get the work done.  Check out my video where I show you exactly how I create my daily to-do list here: Peek at my to-do list
2. A Digital Kitchen Timer. This is a must-have productivity tool for your desk that will keep you uber-focused.  Parkison’s law states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.  By setting your timer for short, but realistic time frames for your work, you’ll stay focused at the task at hand (because your mind knows that you are working against the clock)  and you’ll get the job done faster and you’ll be on to better things!
3. Visible Goals. A daily review of your goals is vital to keeping the big-picture in mind and remind us WHY we work hard everyday.  It’s easy to get caught up in the weeds of everyday responsibilities and loose sight of goals and intentions.  Keep them posted where you can see them often for extra shots of focus and inspiration.  An extra tip: review your goals when making your to-do list, so you can make sure you are  working towards them everyday.
4. A Swipe File. A swipe file is a dedicated folder you keep near by where you put all the ideas, examples, samples of stuff you love and someday may use in your business.  In my swipe file you’ll find articles, worksheets, notes, book lists, and so on, on personal and professional development and small business.  This handy-dandy file makes it to the list because it serves double duty: it’s the perfect place to go to for ideas and inspiration when you need a little boost, and there’s finally a home for the great article you ripped from a magazines, the great idea you wrote on your cocktail napkin, and your someday list that otherwise would pile-up on your desk.
5. Space that you love.  This is an often overlooked detail in productivity.  Imagine having an office or workspace that you can’t wait to get to because you love, love, love being there.  It’s clean, beautiful, and makes you feel great.  It’s organizationally set-up just for you, so you don’t spend time searching for things or forget things under piles of paperwork.  By creating an environment that functions well and you enjoy, you’ll get more done because simply because you’ll spend more time there.  Not to mention, you’ll be a lot more inspired to get things done.