You may be thinking what is, "rabbit hunting?"  What does it have to do with office organizing or office organizing products?

Actually it's a great metaphor for "disorganized office personnel."  It all has to do with behavior, training, and the right tools.   Let me explain! 

When a person begins the first phase of training a pup to become a prize hunting dog, the greatest challenge is the smell of, or seeing that "dreaded rabbit" running from the brush; that new pup now is "rabbit hunting."  It has lost all focus; it rushes from one spot to another, all resulting in an abundance of lost time, and the end result is that very little is accomplished on the project of training the dog.

I have seen office staff and even executives do a world of "rabbit hunting" simply because they are disorganized.   They think they are multi-tasking; in reality they are bouncing around and finalizing little.  They miss or are late for appointments, lose miscellaneous items and papers, someone calls and they cannot find the data...causing call backs, they start one project, and find themselves working on another, they jump from one project to another and the end result is that very little is accomplished.  Sound familiar? 

You can always tell a disorganized mind when you look at the individual's office space. It's true!  The two go hand in hand; the mind reveals itself.  I've seen a project stacked high, spread all over the desk, onto a table, the credenza, a filing cabinet, and yes, even onto nearby chairs.  That person usually has difficulty finding specific data, and is easily distracted, easily frustrated.  After all their time and work, it doesn't quite get organized and finalized. The sad thing is they probably don't even recognize that they need an organizing solution.

Oh, I know people who have things stacked high often refer to the piles with pride and many say, "I know exactly where everything is."  Well, that may be true, but how long will it take to find?

If you can change the behavior of the pup, use the right tools to teach him to focus on the project at hand, ignore the unimportant distractions, and use repetitious training it can become a prize hunting dog.  The major difference is we are of the human species, superior to dog, and it is our responsibility to train and change our own behavior. 

There are some fabulous organizing products available to help you get organized.  Maybe your space is small, and you need to utilize every bit of space you have.  Certainly in that instance, anything you place on your desk should have priority.  It's earned the right to be there because you use it several times a day. 

There are many space saving solutions and it is important that you find the ones that work best for you.  For example, the Rail System or Grid System frees up the desk, and yet keeps your binders, files, and other items close in easy to reach.  For many offices the various Reference Organizers are a must.  Some reference organizers have extended arms; you pull it to you to retrieve the wanted information, you then push it out of the way when you are through; it's a great space saver. Or perhaps you'd rather have your organizer mounted on the wall.  There are several organizers in various forms, and it is important to choose the one that best fits your space and your needs.

Color-coding has grown in popularity and has proven to save a world of time.  Color coding your departments or projects are a big time saver.  Big in color-coding are the Best Built Binders, which come in 5-8 different colors.  You can have black binders in accounting, green binders in marketing, and various frosted binders for different projects.   If you see a binder laying in the wrong department, you'll know immediately if it's out of place.  If you use different colors for different projects you can just glance and grab the one you need.  Color-coding your hanging files, with the file names magnified is another time saver.  There is about every size and color of hanging MagniFiles available; the MagniFiles are also designed to hang in File Trolleys, which is another great space saving tool.  It's true all this may take a little time now, but the time you save, as the months click away, can be converted into dollars saved.

Some offices have developed a theme, such as coordinating the many WoodWorx products, while others love the SteelWorx products. DocuMate desktop organizers are another quality product.  Each are space saving and time saving tools.   You can purchase the different components and design your desktop organizer to fit your space and you style, or perhaps the combo kits are just perfect for you.   All components of each respective brand are interchangeable giving you great flexibility. These Desktop Organizers are such a great organizing tools. 

One thing that will help you along the time-saving path is that you create your own personal organizing system so you do not have to think about where a file is, you will just know.  Be sure you have an in and out tray, label everything, color-code, if that helps you; place your projects in Project Boxes or Binders.  Create a space for everything, even down to the simplest things like a home for you daily planner, where you place your car keys, where incoming mail is placed.  Have a "Things to Do" list in a file, prioritized, with reference data in the file.

Bet you think all these organizing products are going to save the day!  Just kidding!  Getting the products is the easy part.  The hard part is the behavior change, and that is up to you and these great organizing solutions just make it easier for you to accomplish your goal.  But, you have to use them, using them until it has become a habit.  A new habit is a behavior change!  You'll soon get the hang of it, and then it will become yours....you'll own it! 

When you are organized you do not go"rabbit hunting."