We know it can be challenging to keep your office organized. It’s easy to misplace items and put important paperwork wherever it may fit on your desk. However, a clean workspace allows you to be productive and get your work done efficiently. We’ve created 10 best tips for office organization to help get you started and back on track.
1. Purge Your Space
As you begin organizing your office, it’s important to purge your items. Try the three pile method: keep, trash and donate. As you’re going through your items, place them into one of these three piles. This will minimize the amount of items you have in your office and allow you to focus on keeping what’s important.
2. Create Work Zones
Designate work zones in your office. For example, create a specific space for you to write, file your papers, or even clear a space to place your personal items like picture frames. Setting aside specific areas to complete tasks and place your items will minimize frustration and allow you to get your work done efficiently.
3. Redistribute
It’s easy for items such as an important document or your favorite pen to wind up missing in your office. Take the time to put back items where they belong once you’re done using them. It’s a lot easier to take the few extra seconds to put your items back rather than having dozens of items scattered and unorganized in your office.
4. It's Cleaning Time
Many people forget to properly clean their office. Your designated work space should be taken care of like any other space in your home. We recommend that at least once a week you wipe down your desk, sweep the floors and sanitize any items that you frequently touch like your phone or keyboard.
5. Sticky Note Overload
It’s easy to depend on sticky notes for reminders. However, two sticky notes can easily turn into twenty which creates chaos and disorder in your office. It’s not a bad thing to write your reminders down, but we suggest you get a planner or calendar to keep them in one place to stay organized.
6. Labeling is Key
There’s no such thing as too many labels. Labeling items in your office is key to having an organized space. It can be as simple as handwritten adhesive labels or printed by a label maker. But the bottom line is that having a consistent labeling method makes items easy to identify.
7. Clear Your Desk
Once you’ve decided where to place the items in your office such as your files, computer, or writing utensils, clear off your desktop. You’d be surprised how your office will instantly be less cluttered when you can actually see your desktop.
8. Stick With It
Continue sticking with your organization methods to maintain a tidy office. We recommend no matter how busy you are, you should always straighten up your office at the end of the day. This could be as easy as putting your folders back in the filing cabinet or putting your pens and pencils in the drawer. If you stay on top of it, your office will always stay clean and organized.
No more excuses to keep your workspace tidy! Use the tips that best fit your lifestyle and you’ll never have to be stressed about your disorganized office again.