Along with all the other New Year's Resolutions, keeping a tidy work space should have made it on your list. Cleaning up your office can help you be more efficient, maximize productivity and manage tasks better, while keeping your space neat and tidy!
Whether you have a home office or workplace office the best place to start is to purge. Get rid of any items you don’t need: paperwork, knickknacks, too many pens, all those takeout menus, or that half-eaten bagel from Monday. Take the items you want to keep and put some of these tips into action.
Filing Systems:
Leaving a paper trail can sometime be helpful, put keeping unwanted and unused old paperwork can just add clutter and take up valuable space. Making sure your files are properly organized can make finding the right paperwork and files simple. There are a variety of different types of filing systems that will be perfect for your work space. Be sure to file weekly so items don’t stack up or get misplaced.
- Wall Mounted systems are great for offices with limited space
- Vertical desktop document holders are ideal for placing on tabletops or spacious desks
- Stand-alone filing cabinets can be great for larger offices or lots of paper that needs to be filed
- File boxes are perfect for filing away in a closet or storage room
Computers:
We’ve all been through it, things get cluttered, desktop screens get littered with newly saved projects, photos and folders that don’t help when you spend 20 min trying to find one file. A great way to keep files easily accessible, and all in one place, is having an external hard drive.
- Anything from a large 2 TB to a small flash drive can quickly become the simplest way to keep the most important items at the ready
- Deleting unused programs, photos, files, music or videos
- Emptying your Recycle Bin every once and a while
- Unsubscribing to email/newsletters can cut down on email clutter
Utilize Your Drawers:
Using caddies or trays are great for further organizing small items such as paper clips, thumbtacks, pens and more. This can keep items tucked away out of sight until they are needed. Creating specific drawers for specific items can also help you quickly find items.
- A drawer for charging cords, headphones, flash drives and other tech related items
- A drawer for writing items such as pencils, pens, sharpeners, whiteout, and erasers
- A drawer for business cards, notepads, and other reference items
Creating “Zones”:
Sectioning off certain areas on your desk can help you prioritize and eliminate stressful areas.
- Zone One is for your computer, or your “work zone”, where you get the majority of your tasks knocked out, full of monitors, keyboards and track-pads
- Zone Two for your non-computer tasks such as paperwork, stamps, notepads, somewhere you can jot things down and sign papers; anything that’s free of cords and chargers
What are your to-go-hints for keeping a tidy office and get things done?
