Mini Makeover: Get Your Office Ready for 2015

It’s that time of year again where we feel a bit caught between focusing on what’s left of this year and trying to plan so that next year can be even better. Last year I was so keen that I shared a similar post back at the end of October. This year, my enthusiasm level isn’t quite as high, but I’m still looking forward to next year and even to a milestone birthday(!). Today I want to share how I’ll be preparing my office and blog for a fantastic 2015 and how you can too!

What you’ll need:

• A To-Do List Note Pad I got mine from Kikki-K
  
• A Big Month to a Page Calendar I got mine from Officeworks – I chose this one because the mini post-it’s fit in each day perfectly and there is room for notes on the side
• Mini-Post-it Notes I got mine from Officeworks  for the fluoro 4 pack
• Notebook I was gifted the ideas notebook from Kelly at Swish Online
• Coloured Pens, Ball Point (or favourite pen) and a Pencil Mine were picked up on overseas trips and one is a promotional pen from my old university/alma mata
  PLUS:
  
• Garbage Bags for the things you need to throw away
• A Recycling Box (and/or a shredder) for all the things you can recycle
• A Box for Charity for the things you never use but are in great condition
• Storage Tubs for things you have to keep but can be put in long term storage

Office Supplies and Planning

When it comes to planning I like to go back to basics and have handwritten notes. I do keep a calendar on my computer and phone, but I feel like things really sink in when I sit and actively plan with pen and paper. My go-to tools are:

My A4 to-do list notepad from Kikki-K – where I write a weekly to-do list that I want to accomplish. I prefer weekly to daily because sometimes I just feel like crafting and others I feel like getting some writing done. I know I work best with a little bit of leeway, so a weekly list works best for me.

My Big Month to a Page Calendar with Mini Post-its – I’ve been using this for a year now and it has been one of the best things I’ve done. I have switched it from being a desk calendar to a wall calendar by hanging it up, but I love being able to see my editorial calendar for the month from my desk as I work. I try to plan my topics a month in advance, but the post-its also allow me to easily switch things around from week to week. Having a dedicated planning morning once a month has really helped me keep on top of this too.

My notebook and pens– for crazy ideas and future plans and for writing meeting notes. This helps me to keep it all in the one place and to come back to it later. I like to write my big ideas in these notebooks so that I don’t lose them when the week is over and I’m on to a new to-do list. They are great when I have a burst of ideas that I could use in the future, but aren’t really right for just now.

Allocating some time to really plan and dream what you want for next year will help you to feel excited about the new year to come and what you really want to get out of it. I’m a big fan of flexible goals where you can change your path but still reach your destination. I like to mix some personal goals in with my business ones because after 5 years of trying all kinds of things I know I feel better if I don’t neglect life for my business.

Clear Out and Organise

A big part of feeling ready for 2015, for me, will be reorganising my office and making it feel welcoming and happy again. Mess seems to pile up when I’m busy moving from one crafty project to the next and sometimes I really just need a day to give it a big clear out and sort through so everything is back where it belongs.

I’m going to start with a clear out similar to what I did here. Start by getting some garbage bags, a recycling box, a box for things to go to charity and some storage tubs. Then pick a spot to start and sort through everything that’s in front of you. Put things away that can go back and decide whether what’s left goes into the rubbish, the recycling, to charity or if it needs to go into long term storage (our taxes have to be kept for 7 years (from memory), so they don’t need to be in the everyday area but can’t be shredded right away). Don’t forget to give any drawers or cupboards a clear out too.

Things you might want to gift to charity are things like: paper that you never used but is still great condition, paints and maybe even other office supplies that you have an abundance of. Pre schools and Kindergartens will sometimes accept these as donations too.

If it’s a big job you might need to take some dance breaks and definitely have some snacks on hand. Once you’ve cleared it all out (and removed it from your office) then you can organise what’s left so that the important things are easy to reach and the space feels inviting to be in. It’s amazing what you can accumulate over the space of a year and how great it feels for everything to have somewhere it belongs.

Set a Theme for Your Year / A Word for the Year

As you may know, I’m not really one to set resolutions as they don’t really allow any space for things to change as your circumstances inevitably do over the year, but I do try to set a word for the year, which for me, is like a theme for the year that I’d like to keep in mind as I’m making decisions and links to what I’m overall trying to achieve.

In 2013 my word was ‘adventure’ and it sure lived up to that. It was a great word because it summed up the highs and lows of a big time of uncertainty for me. This year I chose an ambitious word in ‘kick-ass’ and to be honest, it wasn’t the best fit. It didn’t really allow for the tough times but sometimes that helps you to realise where you’re at.

2015 will be a big year for me. I have plans to really kick things up a notch or two (or five) and it’s going to take some courage on my part to really make some big steps closer to the big goal that I’m working towards. So I’ve picked ‘Geronimo’ as my word for the year, because whenever I need to decide if I’m ready to leap I’ll have this in the back of my mind. My last year of my 20s is bound to be an interesting one. I hope it’s also a great one.

Do you like to plan in advance? Are resolutions or a word for the year more your thing?

If you do try this, I’d love to see a photo or hear about how it went! Tweet me your pics at: @danniellecresp or instagram me at: @dannielle with the hashtag: #styleforahappyhome