Cubicle Makeover

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Holly

When I launched See Jane Work.com, in 2003, it was difficult to decorate a home office. Back then jobs were easy to come by, stylish office supplies were not. Sure you could spend your weekends at thrift and antique stores or your money at high-end retailers, but all that would get you is a nice desk pad or pencil cup. Binders and other necessities still left a lot to be desired.

Eight years later much has changed. Stylish office supplies are now easier to find than an actual job in an office. And while the market may be full of stylish, unique and colorful office supplies, your workplace is full of rules and ugly furniture.

The most difficult workspace to decorate is a cubicle. There’s no wall space, paint options or room for an accent chair; there isn’t room for much of anything. You can decorate a cubicle, but it’s not easy. I decided to show you rather than tell you.

Before

After

At this office, I wasn’t able to go crazy with color as this particular employer had offices that had been professionally decorated. Hopefully, that decorator won’t read my blog because what I’m about to say could be hurtful. The office I made over was awful, full of faux cherry desks and beige and forest green walls (I added the forest part to further emphasize the horror of the color palette).

Here are some tips for cubicle décor:

1. Don’t fight the corporate color scheme. I lucked out with this cubicle in that it was beige and black, many other offices have blue, maroon or even mint green cubicles. It’s not easy to find stylish office supplies that coordinate with mint green. In these situations use complementary or neutral colors as accents. For advice on choosing colors in your workspace read my article on color.

2. Cubicles are small, make sure to “decorate” with items that will be used daily. The workplace is no place for knick knacks.

3. Get creative with your storage. I found out that the metal surrounding the cubicle was magnetic so I used super strong magnets to attach a Three by Three Magazine Pocket and a Spot-On Mini Magnet Hook to hang the scissors.

4. Ask first. If you’ve been in corporate long enough you may subscribe to the motto “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission” unfortunately that won’t work here. Your hard work and money will go to waste if you’re asked to put everything back the way that it was.

5. Don’t go crazy in the supply cabinet. Keep only what you really need at your desk. The trip to the supply cabinet might be your only exercise so making frequent trips there isn’t such a bad thing.

6. Limit personal pictures or mementos to one wall or space in your cube. Although covering ugly fabric walls with your two-year olds beautiful crayon drawings is an improvement, it can also add to the visual clutter.

7. Consider adding something homey like a lamp or a vase of real flowers. Just remember to choose something small and least likely to offend. A vase of strong scented flowers could send your asthmatic co-worker to the ER.

8. At this point my New Yorker friends are gritting their teeth. This cubicle seems huge compared to what they work in! If your space is no space, invest in lovely file folders for your work in progress, a great pen to use daily, a memo mousepad, and a fun notebook for meetings.

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Posted in Office Organization, Office Style | 4

Organize Your Holidays

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Holly

I used to look forward to holiday baking, decorating and wrapping gifts. I would even go so far as to say I was talented in these areas. Unfortunately, in the last few years my holiday cheer has been replaced by holiday guilt. With three kids and a full-time job I never have enough time to participate in these holiday traditions. What I do manage to accomplish does not meet my exacting standards. When I founded See Jane Work I thought I would have more time with my kids; but that was my first mistake.

I recently attended a dinner party and listened to moms who were just as busy and had just as many kids. It was a challenge, but I made a point of hearing their advice rather than tallying all the ways that they were better than me.

So how do they survive the holidays? They make lists and combine tasks.

Making lists may sound like organizing 101, but you would be surprised how easily you can be swayed by the marketing mania that surrounds holiday shopping. If you organize your shopping on a list you will spend less, get the gifts you need, and ensure that you’ve purchased items that the recipients will actually like or want. It’s easy to blow your holiday budget when you see the great sales and discounts; a list will keep you on track. I’ve created a form that you can use to plan your holiday gifts. Click here to see the Holiday Gifts Form.

Combining tasks is also nothing new. I’m sure you’ve attended cookie parties designed to simplify holiday baking; I’m not convinced they really work. My kids expect the same cookies every year so no matter what I bring home from a party I still have to bake the cookies they prefer. What these ladies do is eliminate holiday social events and instead make parties out of their holiday tasks. They go shopping together to minimize mall parking lot frustration. They have a wrapping party instead of a cocktail party (don’t worry there are still cocktails). They even buy cases of wine to get the discount then trade bottles for a variety.

You’ll still have to attend some holiday parties, but you’ll look a whole lot better in your fancy dress if you’re stress free. So get your girls together and get busy. Make being organized for the holidays a group project!

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Decorate Your Storage

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Holly

It’s easy and fun to personalize your storage and desk accessories. Some good candidates for personalization include:

See Jane Work Storage Boxes

Simple Structure Pencil Cup

Three by Three Magnet Boards

The craft store is full of fun stuff that can be used to personalize your storage and desk accessories. For this project we used vinyl letters from the home center. Here are the letters and numbers we used:

Here is a close-up of the black and white theme with arrows pointing to the items we decorated.

Here is a wall of magnet boards used as an office action calendar; each board is numbered for a day of the month.

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Posted in Home Office, Make Your Own..., Office Style | 2

One Office Two Ways

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Holly

Changing your office decor is easier than you would think. If you’ve invested in quality neutral furniture, a simple change in artwork and accessories can give your office a completely different look.

To prove the point, I followed my own advice. I remodeled my home office without even moving around the furniture. I think you’ll agree that it looks like a completely different office.

I changed out the accessories and recovered the chair (something that is easy to do if you have an office chair with cushions that unbolt from the frame).

Here is what I started with:

Here is what I changed it to (something a little more gender neutral to share with my husband and sons):

Here’s what I spent:

Just for reference the pink office cost about $400. I realize this is not an insignificant amount of money, but when you consider that it looks like a new room it’s worth it.

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Posted in Holly Bohn-Weiss, Home Office, Office Style | 6

My Portable Office

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Holly

Sometimes there just isn’t room for a home office. Other times the only place for a home office is in a remote corner of the house, so far from all the action that your kids have to call you on the phone to ask a question about their homework (maybe that’s not such a bad thing). A home office may be a necessity, but the size, location, and even contents are dependent upon your lifestyle (and budget).

My last home was tiny, but I still had a dedicated home office. Unfortunately, as my kids got older (and their fighting more intense) I decided to give up my office so that they could have their own rooms. I couldn’t get much work done anyway with all that fighting.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to do next; there wasn’t even a spare corner in the living room for a little desk. From that day forward I started wandering looking for a little area that I could claim for my own.

I didn’t mind working from the kitchen table or counter, but every night I had to shove my projects into a nearby cabinet so we could eat dinner at my “desk”. Some nights I would work from the sofa or even bed while my hubby or kids watched T.V. The main problem with this arrangement was that I didn’t have supplies nearby. I was running back-and-forth to grab a pad of paper or a pen or a staple-remover. What do you do without desk drawers let alone a desk?

I decided to create an office tote. I filled a canvas bag with office supplies in small pouches, project envelopes, and file folders. My office supplies are now organized and ready to go wherever I decide to work.

Here is the end result:

The canvas bag is from LL Bean. I even spent a few extra dollars to have the word “office” embroidered on the front.

Inside I put everything that I needed to get my work done, pencils, pens, highlighters, a stapler, clips, a pad of paper, sticky notes and even work-in-progress and bills-to-pay. I organized current projects and bills using file folders and project envelopes. I organized office supplies in pouches.

The canvas is so sturdy you can even clip notes or to-do lists to the side.

Here is what you will need:

Medium Canvas Tote from LL Bean

Baggu Pouches

Project Envelopes or Thomas Paul String Folios

Semikolon File Folders

Susy Jack Clips

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Posted in Home Office, Make Your Own..., Office Organization | 10

Make Your Own…Shelves

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Holly

I never have enough space for books and magazines. Although having a Kindle has helped a little, I prefer to read some magazines and books the old-fashioned way.

Adding storage to a room that is already “done” is never easy. Sometimes it’s easier to start over than find pieces to go with what you already have. Very few people can make a wall of mix-matched book shelves look good.

I decided that something unique would give me the space I need without making my office look like a jumbled mess.

I purchased unfinished children’s chairs from IKEA. They were $9.99 each. I sanded them a little, then spray painted them white and hung them on the wall.

Here’s how they look:

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Organizing Your E-mail

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Holly

A person’s organizational acumen could once be measured by the tidiness of their sock drawer, but oh how the times have changed. If you really want to know if someone is organized take a look at their e-mail inbox. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not actually suggesting that you go around looking at people’s inboxes; what I am suggesting is that you look at your own.

The ability to effectively organize your e-mail communication is a critical time-management skill. No matter who you are or what you do chances are you could use a little more time in the day, organize your e-mail and you just might have it.

The Junk in Your Trunk

It may be difficult, but if you get junk email you must unsubscribe before you delete. If you shop somewhere often you’ll want to stay on their mailing list for coupons and specials, but for everything else unsubscribe. It takes a few extra steps to unsubscribe, but it will save you time in the future.

If you have unsubscribed and you still get their messages add them to your junk sender’s list. Steps for junking mail are different depending on the email service provider. In Microsoft Outlook, you simply right click the message and that option appears. Most providers offer some sort of method, Hotmail for example offers a sweep that allows you to set-up rules like “delete anything from this sender.”

Rank and File

Your next step is to set-up email files. Don’t worry this isn’t as hard as setting up paper files or organizing your hard drive. The file names will change depending on your line of work. Here are some that could work for your personal account:

Business is a little trickier, but you can start by looking at your paper or electronic files. One way to set-up your email files is by department: marketing, customer service, purchasing, etc. You could also set them up by subject or task: planning, meetings, financials, sales reports, etc. I use a combination of methods. I have some files by department, a few regarding important accounts, a file for receipts, and a meeting file.

The meeting file is my favorite. I’ve set up subfolders within it. When I get emails that are best covered in a weekly meeting I pull the email into the folder. Before each meeting I make a note of all the topics in the folder and make sure that each issue is covered.

Who Does The Dirty Work?

Unlike your kids and husband, your computer will do a lot of the work for you. It can actually file and sort your incoming mail. You’ll need to set-up more rules, similar to what you did with your junk mail. Items such as store coupons and specials are good candidates for rules. You can set-up store newsletters to go into a particular folder. Then just check that folder daily to make sure you don’t miss a 50% off at J.Crew or Restoration Hardware. Some items that I’ve set up rules for include regular reports, correspondence from my children’s school PTA, membership rewards statements and travel offers. These are folders I check regularly so if they bypass my inbox I won’t miss them.

Sorry You Tasked?

Managing e-mail tasks or to-do’s is a matter of personal preference. Some people view their inbox as a to-do list and everything that hasn’t been filed must be dealt with, others set up a task folder. Either way is fine, just be consistent. If the item is on your calendar and your physical to-do list it’s probably not necessary to leave it in your inbox.

Create a folder labeled Events and store calendar related email there until the event has passed.

Maxed Out

Space is limited for just about everyone, so at some point you will have to clean-out even email files. If you regularly receive large attachments you may already have a space problem.

Make a point of saving large attachments on your computer hard drive. You can also pdf or save as html the accompanying email.

If you or your company has a good method for archiving your email file, and the ability to retrieve the information if needed in the future, then purge yearly.

If you or your company does not have a good method of archiving make sure that you save important emails as pdf or html files to your computer hard drive or company server.

Last But Not Least

It’s good to copy yourself. It sounds a little strange so let me explain. When sending out important messages via email include your own email address in the cc field. You can then file the incoming email as you would any other email related to that topic. It’s a lot easier than searching through your sent messages.

There are many email accounts and a limited amount of space here. The point is you need a plan for your email. Set a 1-week goal to get your inbox in order; then spend a little time each day making it happen. Your stress level will thank you.

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Celebrating the All New LEARN Section

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Holly

Eeek! That’s what I said when I looked at the date of my last blog post. Today you will finally understand what has been taking me so long. The new LEARN section is complete. The blog will still be about organizing with style, but the delivery will be a little more personal.

The new LEARN section is a wonderful new resource. Among the many features there are Free Downloads, Customer Organizing Tips and your favorite posts from the blog.
See Jane Work has always been about connecting with our customers. We are an online retailer, but we are run by real people with real lives and the real challenges of being a mom, employee, friend, wife, sister and whatever else life throws our way. The new LEARN section is designed to be interactive so we need you to comment on the blog or send in your style or organizing tips in the new Customer Tip Section.

The look and feel of the blog may change a bit to better compliment the LEARN section, but my self-deprecating style and organizing tips will stay the same.
Thanks for hanging in there with us through all the changes over the last few years. It’s all been worth it.

Best Regards,
Holly Bohn Weiss

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Make Your Own…..Bulletin Boards

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Holly

I promise that Make Your Own isn’t going to be all about bulletin boards. I realize that the first two posts in this series have been on this subject, but it’s been out of necessity. I promise to bring you some fresh new ideas soon….very soon, for now I bring you an extra-large bulletin board solution.

I have a really long wall in my office that was in need of some sort of decoration. I considered wall-mount shelves, wall paper and even wall decals, but my practical side talked me out of it. I already have shelving and the wall paper or decals didn’t serve a purpose. The office I currently occupy is fairly small and I have to make every square inch count. What I needed most were bulletin boards; a place to post design inspiration, color schemes and even mementos.

For several months I searched. I really wanted magnetic chalk boards or a cork board in a great frame. I either needed one extra-large board or three large boards, but I couldn’t find anything in my price range. (I have three kids who need braces and clothes and books….so spending a ton of money on bulletin boards for my office would be a little selfish.)

At the craft store I came up with an idea-that sometimes happens at craft stores-to use artist canvas boards. They were on sale two for one, so I could buy three large boards for $60. Jackpot!!!

I thought I might have to insert foam backing to hold the pins, but I didn’t. I used a variety of small map tacks and See Jane Work Basic Push Pins. They all worked great.

Here are the boards I used. When I first carried them into the building my colleagues were skeptical that this would look good.

Here are the boards mounted. They’re so large, I have plenty of room left after posting all my magazine tear-outs, paint chips and mementos.

What should you hang on your boards? It depends on your job. I hung color chips…….

And a treasured note from an employee……

Here is a close-up of the map tacks I used…….

The T style tacks are available at Office Depot. The small silver ball map tack is not available for purchase, but before you get all worked-up I have good news. Advantus Corp., our parent company, actually manufactured these in the U.S. so we’re going to fire up the old machines and produce a batch. We’ll have them up on the site and available for purchase very soon.

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Posted in Home Office, Make Your Own..., Office Style | 7

Fashion Inspired Office Décor-Feathers

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Holly

My inspiration for office décor often comes from my closet; fashion can be the perfect starting point for an office makeover. Don’t get me wrong, not every fashion trend should be translated into office décor (last year’s neon trend being a good example) but many trends will work in an office. You’ll be happy to know that this year’s runways have been full of décor friendly ideas. Every few weeks we’ll bring you a fashion trend and show you how to translate it into an organized and stylish office.

Our trend to translate this week is Feathers

There are some fashion trends that I simply admire from afar, the feather trend being a good example. We’re seeing them as earrings, on clothing and in hair. Unfortunately, this trend can easily go from tasteful to tacky. I was going to provide an example of extremes to illustrate my point, but decided that some things are best left to the imagination. Getting this look right can be expensive. The runway looks are way out of my budget so rather than settle for something more affordable, but not quite as stylish, I translated this trend into décor.

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