Clutter can make any professional want to scream. From piles here to piles there… yes, we are not talking about your home! Cluttered and unorganised office space will likely leave you feeling depressed, frustrated, and uninspired. Don’t let your cluttered office space hinder your ability to get your work done. For starters, put everything in the storage boxes before you decide what to keep and what to throw away. Clean and organised office space can help you feel productive and energised. If you want to keep your office space clean, but just can’t, we are here to help.
Before we begin, we just want you to understand that a de-cluttered office space can result in a more productive, fulfilling professional life.
If you are struggling to keep your office space tidy, here are the proven ways you can implement to keep your workplace organised. If you need motivation or encouragement read this – “A disorganised workspace implies a disorganised person or a disorganised mind, someone who can’t handle the pressure.”
#1 Start with the Desk
The very first thing you should consider about organising is your workstation. Bring in some storage boxes and clear the space completely. Before you start, label the storage boxes accordingly such as ‘stationery,’ ‘files,’ ‘electronics,’ etc. This will help you prevent mixing up everything. Storage boxes are a great way to de-clutter your office desk. They help you to analyse each piece – what’s necessary and what’s not, that you will reintroduce to your desk.
Wipe clean the desk with a damp cloth including the drawers. Also, you can treat the desk drawers for cockroaches and other insects harbouring inside.
Once you remove every single item from the desk and clean it properly, it will leave yourself room to visualise the desk, as it should be to help you keep productive.
Now, it is time to toss the clutter. Don’t place the items from the storage boxes on the desk, not yet. This phase is about tossing the trash and clearing the clutter.
While you go through each item in the storage boxes, ask yourself if you need it on your desk or not. All the unnecessary items should be removed from the area or thrown away. Avoid bringing back things that have no purpose.
Now it is time to put everything back. Create a configuration; consider how you work on your desk. Sit in your chair and stare at your empty desk. Visualise where you want to reintroduce the items.
The rule of thumb is to use items that are of daily use such as office stationery, computers, and files. Reduce the use of paper as much as possible. Most importantly, keep a small trashcan close to your office desk.
#2 Have a Sophisticated Décor
When you have a pleasant and sophisticated office décor, you, including other staff and employees, will be more inclined to want to keep the workplace neat and tidy. For instance, plants are one of the best ways to get your workplace a more tasteful look. In fact, they are the best thing to have at your desk. A few office plants will brighten up the look of the workplace and hence encourage the employees and staff to keep on top of your everyday office organisation. Artificial plants are also a great option if you think that taking care of live plants is not possible in your workplace. Whatever the case, having a tasteful office décor will make everyone working feel responsible for keeping it intact. Hence, they will ensure that no clutter is formed that will compromise the look of the workplace.
Things like plants can be kept on the desks or on the floor. Other decorative items that motivate the staff can also be included.
#3 Toss Trash Immediately
Trash piling up will only make your workplace look like trash. The key to keep your office space tidy is to keep the trashcans clear. Ensure that yesterday’s trash is not piling up with today’s trash. Never leave trash sitting as it becomes distracting clutter that will lead to everybody losing their rhythm at work. It is a challenging feat to achieve. This is the reason why offices across the UK have begun recruiting manager/organisers within their own staff to keep up with the daily management that your workplace needs to stay prolific. It will enable your staff to organise the workplace in the best possible way to suit their unique requirements. Keeping things arranged in the workplace is a constant struggle. Not everyone shares excellent organisation skills; therefore, it is challenging to keep things organised when not everyone is committed to it.
However, people who excel in office organisation often enjoy coming up with clever and new ways to organise a working space effectively. Inclusion of such people in your staff will help you organise and maintain the tidiness of your office space.
#4 Centralise and Digitise
Lack of centralisation leads to cluttered physical and digital workplaces. Sorting through an abundance of files/documents and retrieving them is a struggle for many and results in tons of wasted time every day. This is the reason why you are advised to centralise your documents, files, and other vital forms of paperwork in one place – ideally digitally. Technology can help when used correctly. It can save you from the feeling of being overwhelmed because of the sense of information overload.
Learn how you can integrate cloud-based technology and associated tools in your professional life. Technology will always be at your hand, so it makes sense to store and organise information and data in real-time and on the go.
#5 Let the Cleaning Company Handle all the Mess
Hiring a good cleaning contractor will help you maintain clean and tidy office space. They will assign you their staff who will come to the office every day or as per your requirements to keep on top of your necessary cleaning tasks. Their jobs may include removing rubbish, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, etc.
Final Words
A clean and tidy office is a more sanitary office. It keeps you and the staff healthy and highly productive.