Author: Shopper+

Do you need an extra kick to help you stay organized from work and play? Look no further, here are a few apps for your smartphone to help you get through the day!

MyFitnessPal: Eating right and staying fit is important for your health. That is why having a fitness tracker is useful to keep track what you’ve eat in one day. The app can give you a breakdown on the amount of sugars, protein, carbs on a specific food to make sure you’re eating right. The app is 100% free and can scan the barcode of your next meal.

Trello:  Is a collaboration tool used to that organizes projects into a board. Think of it as an online checklist where you can share a list of things to dos in the form of sticky notes with others.  Also if you’re familiar with Microsoft Office, Trello has collaborated with Microsoft to integrate Trello into their software.  

Slack: One of the most well known collaboration apps to work together with other professionals whether it’s on a specific project, event, or meeting with your team. A form of messaging that is professional, quick, and easy to use.  It can be a cheaper version of Skype, and can integrate several other apps into Slack including Google Docs, Dropbox, and etc.

Hootsuite: If you have a business and need to manage your online social media accounts, then Hootsuite will help you out. It can schedule your next post whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. throughout the day without using it manually and save you time from a busy day. Although mostly used on a laptop or desktop, they have the mobile app version on Android, IOS, and Blackberry.

Keep only frequently used items at your desk
if there are any tools on your desk you’re not using everyday, but them away in your drawers. The less cluttered your desk is, the fewer distractions you will have.

Create a storage strategy
When you’re creating this storage strategy, ask yourself what will you be filing? And how often do you need to access these filed documents. Create a hierarchy for your files. For document you are currently working with, store them in an easily accessible drawer. Once you’re done with the document or file, lock it away where you will have it on record, but won’t have to worry about accessing it at any moment.

De-clutter as much as often as possible
If you find yourself with some down time towards the end of the week, instead of scrolling through your Facebook timeline for the billionth time, take some time to purge the junk around your office. This can be old post-it notes that have no relevance, or old files you can shred. Just double check you won’t need the items before you go ahead and chuck them

Recycle and reduce paper usage
Recycling is a great way to get rid of useless paper, in the most environmentally friendly way. Consider using digital storage systems, like dropbox.

Start fresh each day
Do a quick clean up at the end of the day, getting rid of any junk that may be lying around. When you arrive at the office the following day, you won’t feel cluttered or stressed out and can start your day off on the right foot!

Organization

Supply your new employee with everything they need to stay organized and on top of their job duties. This can be bigger items such as pencil holders and label makers, or the smaller supplies like post-its and paperclips. Although they may not make use of all the supplies, you can be assured they will have access to everything they will need to stay organized.

Storage

File folders and expanding files is another major key in staying organized, leading to highest rates of productivity. Providing a place where your employee can store work materials will ensure nothing gets lost, and everything is easily accessible at any time.

Desktop accessories

Place a tape holder, stapler, stapler remover and scissors on the desk. This will avoid your employee from running around looking for them in the times they may need it. These accessories may not be a part of their day-to-day tasks, but will certainly come in handy at some point.

Branded Products

If your company has branded pens, post its or general inquiry business cards, make sure you hand a couple over on their first day. These are great to bring to meetings with clients, stakeholders or with any third party organization.

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Often thought as a place to store your lunch or buy a snack from the vending machine, the break room can be a great common area in the office space for employee’s to decompress and socialize with their co-workers. In order to keep employee’s happy, companies need to offer more non-monetary incentives. A good break room can be one of these incentives.  Turn your break room into a temporary escape from the corporate pressures with these tips.

Free coffee and tea: Rolling in the office at 8 AM can be tough, and we don’t always have time to grab a coffee on the way in. A coffee at your desk makes catching up on emails much more bearable. Consider keeping a log where employees can mark when the coffee was last made, to make sure everyone can enjoy a fresh cup of Joe

Quiet times: Not everyone wants to get crazy on their breaks. To accommodate those who just want to catch their breath or read up on the news, consider setting dedicated “quiet hours” for the break room. These could be later in the afternoon, after everyone has had their lunch. Understanding that everyone deals with everyday stresses in different ways will help keep employees feeling appreciated.

Keep it clean: If you want your employee’s to see the break room as a relaxing environment, it needs to stay clean. Get everyone involved by creating a schedule delegating cleaning tasks to a different department, team or team member each week. Keep the cleaning supplies in the break room, so every team member can easily access them when they need to.

Bring the charge: Keep chargers for laptops, cell phones and other smart devices in the break room. Nothing is more frustrating than getting halfway through the day and realizing your phone is dying and you left your charger at home. Label all the chargers to make sure they stay in the office and aren’t brought home by accident.

A few break room changes can have a major, uplifting impact on productivity. You don’t need to break the bank to make these minor updates, and the return on investment in higher production, employee retention and better recruitment can be extremely profitable.

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