office organization....

[Screamingbeaver]

Hey all. I just wanted some advice or opinions on how one organizes their stuff. You know, all the boxes of software, print samples, books and manuals, media (backups to DVD etc...)

I just recently been promoted and I'm moving into an office. Can you believe it, from a cube into an actual office... with a window! Anyway I really wanna start out right, and there is so much stuff I'm responsible for now, it is just a mess. I was just courious how others have their stuff organized and stored. What type of storage cabinets, or shelving, etc....

Thanks for sharing any ideas.

[JoePixel]

I moved to this company about 18 months ago and found a huge unorganized mess.
I have one file cabinet that is pretty big and in there I store all the latest software manuals (that I never used). I only keep the recent manuals. I threw out all the software boxes and just keep the cd sleeves that have the serial numbers on them.

I keep all the most recent software in a fireproof safe so that nobody will steel them and they are protected, and then all the previous archives that were on cd go into that huge file cabinet. After I ran out of room for the cd archives in that file cabinet, I purchased those folders that hold 100 disks and now that I back up to DVD I put the Mac files onto DVD and put those into that folder.

Basically, I'm not a pack rat. If I didn't need it, I tossed it. I keep all software, but only keep the literature on the most recent stuff. Previous print samples I give to the sales person. Let them deal with the crap.

I really love the folders that hold the disks. You can get a 500 disk folder and it takes up very minimal desk space. If you tried to store 500 disks in a cabinet then you will take up a ton of space.

[Screamingbeaver]

Hey JoePixel. Thanks a lot for your advice and sharing how you organize things. I'm noticing a lot of stuff we don't need. Let the spring cleaning begin.

'Beaver

[JoePixel]

I'd be willing to bet that someone reading this thread has manuals from Illustrator 3 sitting in their cabinet.

I have worked with several people in the past that keep everything and then their work area looks like a bomb went off.

One more suggestion. You will come into contact with lots of vendors, designers, techies and so forth. All of them will have business cards. Get something to organize your business cards.

I also keep two 3-ring binders. One has emails that I print out with FTP settings, masters, screen grabs, IP addresses, all kinds of stuff and the other has receipts, phone lists and whatever I can print out and keep.
You walk into my dept and you don't see all kinds of crap sitting around. If people get the impression that the dept is organized, then that is good.

[Screamingbeaver]

Right On! Great Idea. I'm stopping at OfficeMax tonight and loading up on 3 Rings, Folders, and the like.

Thanks again.

There is a guy up in Customer Service here where I work, and this area is just immaculate. One of our Big Wig Boss Men walked buy and actually asked if he did any work around here, cause is desk was so clean. Go figure.

[pcmodem]

I am not sure if you have the room. But we have a closet with our software neatly organized. This way we can go to our software closet and grab what we need. The closet also has a lock on it and only certain people have a key

Most of the time now we have the Disk Images on our server and we only need get in the software closet if the software is so old it doesn't have a Disk Image yet.

Brian Cupp

[JoePixel]

Definitely lock up that software.
We had a kid working for us last summer in the office area. He came back to the Mac dept. one day and was opening up doors and cabinets. I let him go, knowing that he couldn't find anything that would be any trouble.

Finally I asked him what he was looking for and he said he was looking for the Creative Suites Cd's so that he could load Photoshop and Illustrator onto his computer and play around with it.

Yeah right, like he wasn't going to make a copy of them first and then load them at home.

[cpi]

Originally Posted by JoePixel

I'd be willing to bet that someone reading this thread has manuals from Illustrator 3 sitting in their cabinet.

Nope, but I have PageMaker 4.0 and Corel Draw 3.0 (and all the crap that goes along with them) sittin' in a box on the floor....

can you come clean up my bomb? I wouldn't know how to act if I were that organized.....

:lol:

[Sparky]

OK I held off posting an answer but my nature refuses to allow this. Being a "typical" Virgo and a very astute perfectionist, (I number my socks when I buy them so I can put the same pair back together after washing) OK so maybe very ANAL on top of everything, Anyway every piece of software that is at least 2 versions old has been labeled and boxed and filed in the back room (alphabetically mind you) and all I have in the DTP department is every pertinent software box all arranged in the same direction, Windows on the far side, Mac on the near side. If anyone has ever seen "As good as it Gets" (Jack Nicholson) will understand my obsession with keeping my work area neat, organized, clean, etc. I won't even allow anyone near my work space with food or drink. (I've seen the effects of a Jumbo Coke on a keyboard) 8O
I am a firm believer in "A place for everything, and everything in it's place"
Spending a little time to "clean up" your work space and organize your inventory is well worth the benefits of having a clutter free and efficient working environment, so have at it 8)

[JoePixel]

Well said Sparky.

I would save the boxes and literature, I just don't have the room.

Jumbo Coke on the keyboard? I saw a guy update 200 images in Quark (they came up modified in the usage window) by putting a 16 oz. Coke bottle on the "Enter" key and walking away and letting all the images update.

Not what the Jumbo Coke is for is it?