Organize Your Office Supply Cabinet   By Maria Gracia   of Get Organized Now!

Are you tired of that overflowing, overstuffed Office Supply Cabinet?

You know, the tall, 3-shelf one that you’re literally scared to open. It’s bulging with pens, labels, disks, binders, post-it notes, paper pads, paper clips and more. It’s so full that you don’t even know what’s in there. You can’t find what you need when you need it, which causes your blood to boil in frustration. Plus, you’re constantly running out of supplies because there’s no system to let you know when you're running low.

Get it organized and eliminate the stress. Here's a simple, 7 step system

1) The first thing I'd suggest is that 1 person be in charge of the supplies, whether taking supplies out, or putting supplies back in. This person is either going to be you, or someone you delegate this responsibility to.

2) One of the reasons that it's so difficult to find things is because everything is just stacked, one item on top of another and one item in front of another. Try dividing supplies, especially the smaller ones, into labeled organizing containers.

Covered, plastic Rubbermaid containers work well here, especially the ones you could see through. They stack nicely on top of each other, without toppling. Make sure each container is labeled; not on top -- in front so you can immediately identify the contents.

3) In order to truly organize that cabinet, it's going to have to be emptied out completely.

4) If you have an even mix of supplies, you might consider designating each shelf a different category:
Shelf A: Computer Supplies (disks, disk holders)
Shelf B: Desk Supplies (paper clips, pens, labels)
Shelf C: Large Pads of Paper, 3 Ring Binders and Larger Items

5) As you're putting the supplies back into the cabinet, make a running list of everything inside (do this on your computer, alphabetically within each section A, B, and C.) Also list how many of each item you currently have while you're at it. For instance:

Shelf A
Disks (3.5 HD) - 10
Disk Mailers - 50
Toner Cartridges - 4

Shelf B
Pens - 20 boxes
Pencils - 25 boxes
Paper Clips - 15 boxes
Scotch Tape - 18 rolls

Shelf C
Binders (1 inch) - 12
Binders (1 1/2 inch) -14
Binders (2 inch) - 9


When you're done making your list, you should have a pretty good idea of what's inside and where.

6) When somebody needs supplies, they should ask you for them. You can give them what they need, while adjusting how many are now left on the list. (Example: If there were 12 - 1 inch binders and someone just took 5, then there are 7 left.) Indicate this on your list. (By the way, if you’re using the computer for this list, it will be easier to update.)

7) Once you notice that a particular office supply is running low, you can simply re-order, without having to take a physical inventory of the cabinet.

About the Author

Maria Gracia is President of Get Organized Now!.

Specializing in peak time and space management, she has over 12 years of organizational experience. Her broad range of skills covers planning, scheduling, peak productivity, records management, space planning, time and paper management, administrative services and computer oriented organizational systems.

Maria is the author of the book titled Finally Organized, Finally Free. In addition, she has written and published, T.A.S.O., the art of Time And Space Organization Newsletter, Better Business and a number of other informational products. Her works are enjoyed by individual consumers, small businesses and large companies such as the Walt Disney Company, Dell Computer Corporation, Microsoft Corporation and Metropolitan Life.

Maria provides solutions to help you organize your business, personal, home and family life with ease -- one solution at a time. You can contact her via e-mail : getorgnow@aol.com


Copyright © 1999 Get Organized Now.  All Rights Reserved. Re-Printed with permission.

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