Nothing kills productivity more than a cluttered work area. Organizing your office is essential for good business. Below are some tips you can follow to clean up your workspace so you can focus on your job and not the clutter.
One of the biggest clutter problems around are those yellow little sticky notes. Sure, they are convenient, but they can certainly build up. Instead of framing your computer with a row of stickies, get yourself a bulletin board where you can pin them up on. Better yet, get rid of them all together and get yourself a notebook and pen. Use this one notebook to jot down your to do list and other important things you need to focus on. This keeps everything in one spot easier to find. Having a desktop full of notepad documents is just as bad as having those sticky notes, so you should avoid this as well unless you plan on keeping them in one desktop folder.
Remember those things called filing cabinets? They were made for a reason – for you to use them and they work great, actually. Alphabetize and file your important documents, receipts and other paperwork. Nothing is more distracting than a piles of papers all over your desk (except for those sticky notes).
Trays work fabulous when there is a need for paperwork to be on your desk. You can designate trays for different purposes such as an inbox and outbox for mail, catalogs and other items.
Along with paperwork, you should also organize the other clutter such as pens, pencils, paperclips, etc. Get yourself a basket or better yet, a drawer for these items.
An orderly desk free from clutter not only helps to keep you focused on work, but it also prevents unwanted stress. There are many ways you can organize your office. Start by taking some time to get organized and then each day give yourself 15 minutes to put things in their place before you begin your workday.
Also, I feel that I should give a quick shout out to the Office Stories blog at Enigin PLC, it is really great. I find myself looking at it everyday hoping that there are new posts up!