Keeping an office space and desk area clean, organized, and functional is a whole lot easier said than done. Even with the best intentions, it can be pretty easy for the space to become cluttered rather quickly. If you’ve been finding it hard to locate items you need, move around the space, and have a general sense of disorder as you look around, then it’s probably time to get organized.
Here are five simple techniques you can use to help organize your office and desk space, which will make it a more enjoyable and productive environment to be in.
- Start Labelling
One of the fastest and quickest ways to organize your desk and your office is to label storage boxes/bins, files, and filing cabinets. Gadgets such as Dymo XTL is the perfect label machine for office use, as it offers a number of printable lines so you can fit all the information you need on there. By labelling these items you won’t have to rummage through bins and files just to locate what you want. The labels can also help you with your filing system.
- Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
There’s a good chance you’ve done some spring cleaning or organizing in your home and that process almost always involves purging. Well that same approach can be used in the office. Purge all the unnecessary items and clutter and you will probably be amazed at how much space you create.
While it’s nice to add personal touches to your desk like a plant, pictures, candles, etc. the fact is that all of these items take up valuable space and really aren’t necessary. There’s a good chance you’d benefit more from the extra desk space than the pictures all over your desk.
- Re-Organize the Top of Your Desk
For many people their desk is somewhat of a catch-all. It’s where all documents, files, odds, and ends seem to end up. Before you know it, there is a massive pile that you need to go through, which is time consuming and not exactly enjoyable. Instead take a clean desk approach. Desktop organizers can really help by giving you a place to put your pens and pencils, notepads, documents, files, etc.
- Inbox and Outbox
This goes hand-in-hand with cleaning up your desk. You will also want to create an inbox and outbox tray. Again you can purchase trays to set on your desk. The inbox is for new documents you haven’t looked at yet, while the outbox is for the things you’ve seen but are still in the process of dealing with. This system can take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it you’ll find it can help keep the clutter off your desk.
- Dedicate Time Each Day
Another tip is to dedicate a small amount of time each day to cleaning/organizing. Once you’ve done the major clean up this process will be very quick and easy moving forward. By staying on top of it daily you’ll prevent the mess and disorganization from building up like before.
A Fresh Start
It’s amazing how much more productive and positive you can feel once you’ve got a clean, functional, and fresh looking office to work in.
