Corporate Office • 1 - An Office Under Siege
Please see Referral 4 for my client's thoughts on our sessions.
The Chaos:
When you open the door to his office instead of seeing Dr. Gary L. Warren, DDS, the head of his practice, you see an entire cubical full of extra equipment, extra computers, and files stored in his office. Effectively his office was a storage closet.
Only once you are around the corner do you discover Dr. Warren working at an old press board “student desk.”
His physical limitations make working at a standard height desk painfully difficult. All the items stored in his office make an obstacle course he must deal with every day.
All of the documents he uses to run the practice are stored in cardboard and plastic boxes stacked on the floor. He had serious problems of filing and the organization of paper. Secure documents had to be taken home with him every night.
A New Organizational Beginning
The Control:
A new custom build desk that is the correct height for Dr. Warren to work comfortably and sturdy enough that he can put his full weight on any part of it. On top of the desk is a new lamp that fits the Arts & Crafts style of the desk and gives him light where he is working. A desk top holder for binders contains the paperwork which Dr. Warren is learning how to control.
No more taking secure files home every night! Three locking fire safe filing cabinets are placed to the right of his new desk. Due to Dr. Warren’s disability, he and I experimented with binders, furniture height and storage ideas to not only organize his files but make minimal effort of document storage and access. These new locking file cabinets are placed on a test lift to check what height will work best for Dr. Warren, since reaching down to the floor was too tiring.
Actually an Office Now
The difference is visible as soon as the door opens. The extra cubicle has been evicted. A few more items need to find new homes, but already Dr. Warren is not navigating a daily obstacle course. He can now easily get between the door and his desk.

The two remaining pieces of equipment will be moved out as soon as changes have been made to another work space.

This area was to have another custom built table and two chairs, however, Dr. Warren decided that he didn't want another table. Without the second table people would not congregate in his office. He is working easier and his staff has noticed an improvement in his productivity and attitude.
The original height of the test lift we discovered was too tall for ease of access of the top filing cabinet. Thus, a lower level was built for the double stack. On top of the single filing cabinet are sorting bins for blank paper and forms.
However, Dr. Warren needed more accessible storage space. A custom built hutch was added with shelves a comfortable height and under shelf lighting that is turned on with a touch pad.
There are still some minor things to work on, like refinements to the filing system. You will note that the binder holder is missing from the far end of the desk. This is because we discovered that the binders are just too much work and that folders are easier. The binder holder is being modified to hold folders.
Dr. Warren is now able to keep things tidy and up to date, including the filing with the systems I developed for him.
One other addition was a lightweight tablet computer. It doesn't use a mouse or keyboard, all input is done with a pen using one hand.

Note the big grin. He refers to the computer as his baby. In our original session he was absolutely opposed to using a computer because it was too difficult.

The pen based system allows easy one handed input and control. He can write on the tablet and the computer preforms handwriting recognition. The computer is also tied into the office network.

The two are now inseparable and the paper based records are moving to electronic.

Dr. Warren’s Completed Organizational Project
This final picture was taken the day I delivered the binder holder now modified for folders. The items on his desk are what he is actively working on. The folder holder is empty as we just installed it moments before this photo.

For help controlling the chaos in your life

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tasia@btacprod.com

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Dr. Warren’s sixteen organizational sessions started out once a week, then every other week, then monthly, then every other month. When I came in and he had all his filing up to date and there was nothing he needed me for I knew he had mastered his organizational skills. We scheduled a six month follow up, which was done over the phone.