This year will be different...

It's that magical time when we mentally start out with a clean slate. Gone are the old habits that held us back last year. If the previous year didn't live up to our expectations, well this new year better look out because here we come! Right? That's the idea at least. How hard can be to string together 365 good days? How about 200? Or even 80? Give it your best shot and make 2008 your year. We will.

Back the glorious world of office products, now is also the time when manufacturers create new promos and product incentives so sign up for our e-mail specials to be updated on the new ones.

Pass these out like breath mints

PAG33549CT (item number for a case)


Admittedly this is not the type of box you're hoping to get this year, but an important one nevertheless. It's a good idea to have a healthy supply of facial tissue on hand as the temperature drops and more people are confined to the indoors. everyone in the office should have a box at their desk. One misdirected sneeze and pretty soon the whole office is "under the weather." After all, do you really know where your co-worker has been... or even care for that matter? Regardless, germs are easier to spread this time of year so step up your sanitation and keep your nose clean.

Most Of Us Know One Of These....

She is the office holiday decorator and she's into her self appointed job big time! The "present" above was created by wrapping an empty rubber band box. Looks nice and makes an inexpensive office decoration provided you have a few crucial elements...one an empty box, two someone willing to care enough to take the time to wrap it. Almost every office has that particular individual who gets into Christmas so much that it becomes annoying. I love Christmas and unlike Charlie Brown, I don't find it depressing. However, the dancing reindeer and rockin' Santa's can be a bit much. The shiny artificial holly only creates the feeling of a Chinese factory. Decorate the office if you must but not every Christmas item has to come from the clearance rack.

Heres' an easy way to freak out your co-workers: tell them you're going to spend your lunch hour stuffing shredded paper into pillow cases to create the perfect office snowman and you'd like to invite them to join you. Hopefully you will tell them you are joking before they contact security. You will be joking right? I don't recommend the office snowman, but if you must...hey might as well suggest you use this...FEL-38385 Extra-wide feeder accommodates 132-column printouts as well as normal sized pages. Uses confetti-style cross-cut shredding for greater document security. Durable steel cutters accept credit cards, staples and small paper clips, while a designated safety slot accepts CDs.

Start Getting Ready Now

Item Number: SMD64945 from Smead Manufacturing Viewable Labeling System

The countdown to a new year will soon start and with it will come all the new promises you make with yourself. In the midst of best/worst songs of the year countdowns, most important news stories of 2007, best plays from the world of sports, etc., commit now to reorganizing your vital documents in 2008. It truly is one of the better things you can do professionally for your sanity. One of the best methods is using a color coded system. Color coding your files allows for a clean, easily identifiable batching that in turn will make retrieval quick and therefore (drum roll please) increase your efficiency. Only through increased work efficiency will you be able to return to your internet research on the current whereabouts of the Brady Bunch. Here's a teaser...the actress Susan Olsen, known on the show as Cindy, is now a prominent advocate for migraine sufferers. Who knew and does this actually help pay the bills? Okay, back to the original topic at hand...your files. I would recommend visiting two great sites for in depth information and ideas. Visit Smead and see how some simple changes to old products can have a huge impact. Adhesive viewable file tabs that allow for 3 dimensional viewing is a fantastic "why didn't I think of that product." Learn more here. Then go get other ideas and see some great Pendaflex products be sure to join the I Hate Filing Club.

Just Curious...

You see them all over the internet on websites ranging from baby clothes to personal investments. But do they work for you? Are you convinced or are you tired of looking at them? What am I talking about? I'm talking about the "buy a staff" photos that have so thoroughly permeated the internet in an attempt to distort reality, that you can't escape them. These images of people who look to have a photo shoot in Paris as soon as they complete your customer service issue are now so generic I no longer get the point. Ah... the professional hand shake picture, now that's one that instills confidence. Surly if there is an image of a handshake the company must be reputable right? Perhaps not everyone is as cynical as I am. Perhaps many people actually believe that Scarlett Johansson is not only addressing their "concerns" but she's enjoying it too. Who's that? Is that a young Paul Newman rolling up his sleeves to save me money? These photos remain wildly popular so obviously I'm in the minority.

We All Make Mistakes...At Least I Do

I don't necessarily have the answer to this problem, but what do you do if you have created a mail piece or sent an e-mail only to discover that you have a typo? Do you throw away the printed material and start over, afraid that the mistake will reflect poorly upon you, or do you let it pass hoping that your prospective client will not notice? Perhaps they will give you a pass for being human? Perhaps they'll think you're a fool? I don't know what the right answer is...I'm guilty of committing the typo crime and I had no choice but to let it go. Sure I was embarrassed and more than just a little angry, but after kicking myself around for a while all I could do was laugh about it. So if you catch an error in an e-mail, you could respond back pointing out where your mistake was but the fact of the matter is you're calling attention to your error and trying too hard to prove you're not an idiot. If you can't afford to cancel a project, you just have to grin and bear it while you wonder how you could have been so careless.

Get It Over With Early

I'm not totally by-passing Thanksgiving, but while in my car Saturday night, I heard Christmas Carols on the radio. Yes, it does seem to come earlier every year. So, because it's inevitable, why not get most of your Christmas shopping IDEAS out of the way? No need to go shopping anytime soon but at least have your game plan finished so you're not the one buying the XXL slip on slippers at the last moment. Christmas shopping often extends into the office as the obligatory secret Santa's, Kris Kringle's, and other various gift giving opportunities arise. So, what should you give a co-worker? Without a doubt, avoid getting personal. Never give sleep ware, fragrances, or joke gifts that make them the punchline no matter how tempting. Just play it safe. Office supplies make great gifts...okay..maybe just a little bit. Gift cards are still all the rage but they seem a bit impersonal to me. Here's the transaction: I give a Best Buy card and I get a Circuit City card. Now that is not that exciting. And yet, I remember when a co-worker got a fake crystal looking paper weight with an etched dolphin in the middle (she wasn't even a dolphin lover). I later saw these at the checkout counter at the Exxon down the street. So maybe gift cards aren't so bad if this is an alternative. Try to put a little more thought into it. If you wouldn't mind owning it, they probably wouldn't mind either...unless you have awful taste. Do you? The point of all this is to save yourself a little stress and think ahead.