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How to Organize Your Office for Better Productivity
5 clutter-clearing strategies for your workspace
A disorganized workplace can have a detrimental effect on your overall productivity. Cluttered work environments lead to wasted time—valuable hours spent looking for things and keeping you off your focus. If you want to be more productive at work, a big step forward is to be more organized. Having an orderly workplace will have a major effect on the way you work and your ability to manage time efficiently. Here are five tips for organizing your office.
- Clean up the clutter
This is the first step in turning your office into a more productive environment. Get rid of paper files, supplies, decorations and other material you’re not using. Chances are, if you are not using an item for more than six months, you do not need it.
- Go for simplicity
Once you have gotten rid of all the unwanted items and materials, it is time to change the theme of your office. Keep it simple It is not necessary to have your office stuffed with office supplies and items you don’t use or won’t need. Keep everything simple. From files to furniture, it doesn’t take long before an office can seem cluttered. Keep only what you need. - Pay attention to your desktop
Your desktop is the most important place in your office. It’s likely where you spend most of your day. Keep your space clear. Remove boxes and other obstructions from the floor and keep walkways clear. Is your monitor littered with sticky notes reminding you of meetings? Get a desktop calendar, or move your meetings and appointments to Google Calendar. Take time to organize cables, cords and wires associated with your equipment—computer monitor, mouse, keyboard, headphones and phone. Wrap the cords neatly and untangle them. Tuck away excess slack. Keep a separate tray for old and new files, incoming and outgoing materials, and order a desk organizer that can neatly stack the stationery you regularly use.
- Organize everything
Have a look through desk drawers and cabinets. Stash items you don’t use regularly, and reserve desktop space for only the items you use regularly. Make room for the excess in your drawers or cabinets. If you don’t need it, toss it out or recycle it. Label and sort your file folders for easy access when you need them. - Make filing a priority
Even though the need for paper files has reduced significantly, if you find your office swamped with files on a consistent basis, get a handle on your filing system. You can conveniently do that by creating a different folder for each file type. Create and keep an index handy to save time and quickly locate what you need.
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