If you are anything like the kick-butt administrative professionals in our office, your responsibility to increase office productivity goes beyond just ordering office supplies. The projects you are faced with on a daily basis are wide and varied, requiring you to be agile and efficient.
Because of this (and because there are only so many hours in the day), being productive and organized at work is very important. There are a lot of tips floating out there to help with office productivity, but I am going to focus on three paper-related tips. Now, what I am about to share with you is no secret – but it’s worth reiterating….and is as easy as A, B, C.
Tips to Stay on Top of Office Productivity
Anticipation
While your job entails having a lot of unexpected events, presentations and projects thrown your way, anticipating your paper needs and ordering ahead can help minimize stress. And part of ordering ahead is making sure you have the right assortment of paper for your office.
- Standard copy paper (20 lb., 92 bright) is great for your everyday copying needs, such as drafts, internal memos or proofs.
- For your presentations and proposals, a good rule of thumb is to go heavier and brighter – so look for 28 lb. or 32 lb., with a 98 or higher brightness.
- Don’t forget that card stock, which is great for report covers and cards. Making sure you have the right paper on hand ensures that you don’t run out when a deadline is looming and stress levels are high.
Boot That Bad Paper
It’s also important to make sure you are choosing paper that won’t jam your printer. When you’re trying to get 100 copies of a 20-page presentation printed an hour before your meeting, you don’t want the printer going down. Paper jams lead to loss of office productivity which, in a high-paced office, is never a good thing.
Lower cost paper may be appealing when you’re watching your budget, but many of these papers don’t have a performance guarantee. This means you’ll have to factor in the cost of wasted paper and time. Avoid this by selecting and purchasing paper with a jam-free or performance guarantees – like Xerox® Vitality® Multipurpose Printer Paper.
It’s also no surprise that staying organized is a great way to keep your office moving smoothly. It’s become normal practice to see hundreds of emails, documents and memos come across your desk monthly – sometimes daily. With this barrage of paper comes the task of determining priority and deciding what should go where.
Using different colored paper is a great way to assign meanings to documents (urgent, to file) or to sort by department (one color for accounting, another for HR.) Using pastel or bright colored paper is also a fun way to take notes and make to-do lists – keeping those important thoughts from getting lost on a desk full of white paper.
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