After Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s announcement last summer about a new Office, Microsoft has finally released Office 365 Home Premium. From a productivity standpoint, we are excited that it has been modified for better use with smartphones and tablets. As Microsoft now says, “One Office. Five Devices.”

Here is a quick look at what’s new in Office 365 Home Premium:

So what else is new?

• You can purchase the program as a subscription (with automatic software updates so you always have the latest version) or as a standalone version (purchasing each new version as it is released).
• You can install Office 365 Home Premium onto five different devices with a single subscription, each with its own customizable experience that is tied to each Microsoft account.
• All of your work is backed up on Microsoft’s SkyDrive in the cloud, so you can access your information anywhere.  7 GB of space is already included on SkyDrive for free, but with the Office 365 subscription, you receive an additional 20 GB.
• Now you have the option to hide the ribbon in applications or keep it visible.

Keep in mind:

• Office 2013 runs on Windows 8 and Windows 7, but is not available on earlier versions of Windows.
• The software is not compatible with iPhones, iPads, or Android devices.
• The Home version is available now, but the Business version doesn’t come out until the end of February.

We are excited to continue trying the new software and will let you know when we have a more in depth review to share.  What are your thoughts on Office 365?

Messiest Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (JoAnn)

Congratulations to JoAnn for winning our Messiest Desk Contest!  And, thank you to everyone that voted! We will transform JoAnn’s desk over the next several weeks and feature the entire process on our blog, so stay tuned! To get started organizing your own office, download our Small Business Organizing Checklist.

THE PRIZE:

• 16 hours of organizing help from our team of productivity experts
• Desktop organizing supplies from Smead
• One-year subscription to Getting Organized Magazine
• Modern storage bins from Turnstone
• Organizing supplies courtesy of GeekPeek.TV
• Before & after photos by Leo V Santiago Photography

Thanks to everyone who voted for a desk in our Messiest Desk Contest!  It was certainly a nail-biter and we came across many cluttered, crowded and messy desks along the way!  If you know of anyone with a messy desk, the contest has ended for now but we’re always happy to help. Please contact us and we can tell you about our services and how to get started to ensure there are not as many messy desks come next year.

For those of you who are interested in the final leaderboard, here it is:

1. Messy Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (52.7%) 

2. Messy Desk #4 - Nonprofit RN with Piles Galore (36.6%)

3. Messy Desk #1 - Volunteer with Paper Overload  (5.9%)

4. Messy Desk #3 - TV Producer with Cubicle Chaos (3.6%)

5. Messy Desk #2 - Business Owner with Clutter Challenge (1.2%)

There are less than 24 hours until voting closes, so VOTE NOW for your favorite desk and come back on Monday, January 28th when we announce the winner. It’s anybody’s game!

Here’s the contest leaderboard as it stands right now:

1. Messy Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (49.5%)

2. Messy Desk #4 - Nonprofit RN with Piles Galore (35.1%)

3. Messy Desk #1 - Volunteer with Paper Overload  (7.2%)

4. Messy Desk #3 - TV Producer with Cubicle Chaos (6.1%)

5. Messy Desk #2 - Business Owner with Clutter Challenge (2.1%)

Voting ends on Saturday, January 26th at 11:59pm. You may vote as many times as you want…Happy Voting!

We are getting closer to announcing the winner of Seattle’s Messiest Desk Contest. There are some fantastic candidates, but only one can win. VOTE NOW for your favorite desk and come back every day the rest of the week to continue voting!

Here is the contest leaderboard as it stands right now:

1. Messy Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (51.2%)

2. Messy Desk #4 - Nonprofit RN with Piles Galore (28.0%)

3. Messy Desk #1 - Volunteer with Paper Overload  (9.3%)

4. Messy Desk #3 - TV Producer with Cubicle Chaos (8.6%)

5. Messy Desk #2 - Business Owner with Clutter Challenge (2.8%)

Voting ends on Saturday, January 26th at 11:59pm. You may vote as many times as you want…Happy Voting!

We are two days into voting and it’s not too late for any of these messy desks to catch up. VOTE NOW for your favorite desk and come back every day the rest of the week to continue voting!

Here’s the contest leaderboard as it stands right now:

1. Messy Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (53.4%)

2. Messy Desk #4 - Nonprofit RN with Piles Galore (24.1%)

3. Messy Desk #1 - Volunteer with Paper Overload  (10.7%)

4. Messy Desk #3 - TV Producer with Cubicle Chaos (8.6%)

5. Messy Desk #2 - Business Owner with Clutter Challenge (3.2%)

Voting ends on Saturday, January 26th at 11:59pm. You may vote as many times as you want…Happy Voting!

All of these desks are pretty messy… but only one will win an organizational makeover from Innovatively Organized!  VOTE NOW for your favorite desk and come back every day the rest of the week to continue voting!

Here’s the contest leaderboard as it stands right now:

1. Messy Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (47.2%)

2. Messy Desk #4 - Nonprofit RN with Piles Galore (17.5%)

3. Messy Desk #3 - TV Producer with Cubicle Chaos (15.6%)

4. Messy Desk #1 - Volunteer with Paper Overload  (14.7%)

5. Messy Desk #2 - Business Owner with Clutter Challenge (5%)

Voting ends on Saturday, January 26th at 11:59pm. You may vote as many times as you want…Happy Voting!

Thanks to everyone who nominated a desk for our contest!  We received many cluttered, crowded, and overwhelmed desks nominated for a chance to win an organization makeover!

Congratulations to our five finalists!  Now that we have announced the top 5 messiest desks, it’s your turn to help us determine the winner.

Starting today, vote for your favorite messiest desk every day this week (January 22-26)!  Then check back on January 28 when we reveal the grand prize winner!  We will transform Seattle’s messiest desk and share the progress on our blog, so you can see every detail of the organizational makeover!   But only one messy desk can win 16 hours of paper related organizing services with Innovatively Organized (plus a one-year subscription to Getting Organized Magazine; desktop organizing supplies from Smead and GeekPeek.tv; and modern storage bins from Turnstone!).

Messiest Desk #1 - Volunteer with Paper Overload (Martha)

Martha’s home office is cluttered with file boxes, paper, and office equipment related to her extensive volunteer and regular part-time work. Nominated by her sister, Martha is described as a “fabulous person who volunteers extensively in the community” and with an organized office, she “could be more effective in her volunteer and paid work.”

Messiest Desk #2 - Business Owner with Clutter Challenge (David)

Busy balancing all of his roles as a business owner, teacher, volunteer, parent, spouse, and house-keeper, David finds it difficult to organize all of the clutter in his office which includes receipts, email printouts, recipes, schedules, and other computer-related supplies. David’s “loving, but frustrated, wife” nominated him in hopes of helping him clear the mess consuming his workspace because he “is always helping someone else, but doesn’t spend much time on himself.”

Messiest Desk #3 - TV Producer with Cubicle Chaos (Heidi)

Nominated by a co-worker, Heidi’s cubicle has a surprising array of items ranging from food items to books to Halloween costumes, figurines, golf clothes and innumerable piles of books and files. According to her co-worker, “the nearly architectural quality of the stacking and piling” makes Heidi “almost invisible to passersby!”

Messiest Desk #4 - Nonprofit RN with Piles Galore (Laury)

As a Registered Nurse for a non-profit community clinic, Laury’s workspace is covered in stacks of charts, piles of paper, educational materials, soda cans and supplies for the children’s holiday party she coordinates each year. According to her co-worker, “organizing Laury’s workspace would be a way of giving back to someone who has devoted her life to improving the lives of so many others.”

Messiest Desk #5 - Educator with Overcrowded Office (JoAnn)

This full time teacher, a graduate student, a part time clinical faculty member and a toddler mom struggles to find space to do her work in her overcrowded office. With clutter consisting of a mix of papers, professional books, office supplies, papers, children’s books, books and boxes, JoAnn is hoping for a “functional office to manage all of the balls she is currently juggling.”

Read Contest Rules and Policies here.

Have you nominated someone for the Messiest Desk Contest yet?  We’re on the search for Seattle’s messiest desk and we need your help!  There are just two days left to nominate yourself, a colleague, or a friend for a chance to win a complete organizational makeover.  All nominations need to be submitted by 12:00 PM on Saturday, January 19th to be considered as a top 5 finalist.

Nominate Now

If your nominee makes it to the top 5 finalists, they could win:

• 16 hours of paper related organizing services with at least two Innovatively Organized consultants
• One year subscription to Getting Organized Magazine
• Desktop organizing supplies provided by Smead
• Modern storage bins provided by Turnstone
• Organizing Supplies courtesy of GeekPeek.TV
• Before and after photos by Leo V. Santiago
• and more!

Check back next Tuesday for the announcement of the top 5 finalists!

If they say a picture is worth a thousand words, then a screenshot is worth at least a few minutes of saved time. Taking screenshots or snips of something on your computer display allows you to quickly and efficiently communicate in a visual way. Here are a few ways you can start using screenshots to save time:

1. Quickly capture a website or document - you can take a screenshot of the important information and data, then save the image in the appropriate location.

2. Highlight specific information for a colleague - you can take a snip and add your own graphics and arrows to highlight information for them.

3. Gather research in a virtual notebook - you can compile screenshots of various articles, designs, or products, rather than just collect URLs to reference later.

While there are a variety of screenshot tools on the market, our team at Innovatively Organized uses the Windows Snipping Tool and Skitch (created by Evernote) depending on what we’re using the screenshot for. Here is a quick summary of why we like each tool:

Windows Snipping Tool

The snipping tool is excellent for quick screenshots that do not require a lot of extra notations—you can capture the entire screen or make a smaller selection.  It allows you to easily copy and paste screenshots into other Microsoft programs, like Outlook, Word, and OneNote.  Plus, you can pin the snipping tool to your task bar for easy access.  The snipping tool is not available for Apple products.

Skitch

Skitch is a product created by Evernote—and it’s a better solution if you want to add specific annotations to your screenshots.  You can add boxes, lines, arrows, and text, plus use a variety of colors.  It provides a cleaner look and has more options for editing after you take a screenshot.  Skitch is great for adding screenshots to PowerPoint presentations, sending instructions or comments to colleagues, or sending feedback.  Skitch is available for Macs, Windows, iOS, and Androids.

How do you use screenshots to save time and what are some of your favorite tools?

Happy National Clean Off Your Desk Day! It doesn’t matter if you have five-minutes to clean your desk or five-hours, our team at Innovatively Organized has compiled five ways you can celebrate this productive holiday.

1. Clean & dust your desk - When you take a moment to think about everything that comes in contact with your desk, it’s surprising we don’t disinfect & dust it more often. Here is a quick how-to for cleaning your desk.
2. Control the cord chaos - We live in a world where cords seem to be coming out of our ears. Take a few minutes to purge cords you no longer use and tidy the cords that are permanently plugged in around your workspace. Read more tips on organizing your cords and cables here.
3. Place items you use most within easy reach - Create a semi-circle around you when seated at your desk to use optimal space. Take into account whether you are left or right handed and be sure to make use of vertical space by installing shelves and bulletin boards on the walls around your desk.
4. Think paperless & organize your digital clutter too - Set-up a desktop scanner (our favorite is ScanSnap S1300) and start using virtual notebooks to reduce the paper clutter. To cut down on digital clutter, download the Monthly Computer De-Clutter Checklist.
5. Nominate yourself for the Messiest Desk Contest - If your desk (or your coworker’s desk) needs a complete organizational overhaul and you live in the Puget Sound Region, nominate yourself for our Messiest Desk Contest here. Nominations accepted until January 19, 2013.

For monthly tips on productivity and organization in the workplace, sign up here.