Organize Your Briefcase, Organize Your Work
By Bradlley Mckoy

With your on-the-go lifestyle, your becomes your second office. It therefore behooves you to organize it to facilitate easier retrieval of documents, orderly arrangement of your accessories, and good first impressions, too.

To Place or Replace?

You should regularly check the suitability of your briefcase. Check the interior for sufficient compartments and the presence of stains that can put your papers and electronic devices at risk. Examine the exterior for chipped and cracked components in the leather and the hardware. You can choose to either continue placing your things inside it or start replacing it, depending on your assessment.

To Place Front or Back?

You should establish a filing system. You can make a folder for each type of document you use in a normal working day - "Personal Files", Client A Files", "Business Files", or however you want your files to be labeled. Just so long as you have a filing system!

For easier retrieval, you can assign front compartments for files that will be used first on your calendar, with the back compartments for later use. Or you can file based on immediate need - front for urgent documents and back for background reading. Or file it any wish you wish, so long as you know how your system works.

To Color or Not to Color?

You might find it easier to files documents in colored folders or attach colored post-its. This way, you can easily distinguish files without riffling through the folders. However, this might not be for everyone as a multi-colored might send the wrong signals. Again, just so long as you have an organized

filing system, you can opt for basic brown and white or all the rainbow's colors for your folders.

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

You are no stranger to this adage. For your briefcase, always remember that the interior and exterior pockets serve a functional purpose, which you can actually use to keep your things organized and to keep you from losing them.

When you purchase a bag, look for one that has compartments for your electronic gadgets like cell phone, Black Berry, laptop, power cords and other high-tech toys. Also, you have to look for adequate compartments for your documents. If you have a filing system already established, look for a that will complement it.

Before dashing out from an appointment, you have to check if all the documents and gadgets are in their proper places. This way, you will avoid losing your things. Besides, it is better to be safe than sorry especially in this age of computer espionage.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Or orderliness, if you are not much for the religious connection. You have to schedule monthly clean-up and stock-up time for your on-the-go office. You should discard trash that tends to accumulate like paper, pens, and pencils and restock them, too. You should never run out of these writing implements as you never know when an important transaction needs signing or important information needs writing.

And should you find that organizing your is a tedious task you would rather not do, always remember that you will be the person who will most suffer for your own disorderliness.