Take a look around your office right now. How messy is it? Is it a paragon of cleanly organisation? Or is it a bit untidy, a but cluttered and generally difficulty to find things in. We work with a lot of business owners who are struggling to work in their cluttered office space, and need some help to organise and create a productive, create space. After years of hard work, here are our top tips for office organisation:
Start With A Purge
You can’t create productive workspace without going through The Purge. Just trust us on that one, you can’t. But you don’t need to don masks and start killing co-workers in this Purge, just grab some bin bags and office cleaner. Depending on the condition and size of your office space, the Purge could take anywhere from a few hours to a whole day. The idea is to work through the office space throwing away rubbish and anything unnecessary in your office, so that you are left completely free of clutter.
Create A Catch-It Space
Every office needs a place to catch incoming junk and miscellaneous stuff. There are 3 main types of ‘junk’ that flow into an office – important documents, things you need to keep (jackets, umbrellas, travel mugs etc), and real junk. If you set up a catch-it space by the door of your office, you can prevent it from spilling into the rest of your office space. Your catch-it space should have an in-tray or two for documents, with labels and a checking systems, a shelf equipped with hooks and a box for important ‘on your way out/in’ items, and a big bin. This means that people can organise things as they come in or out and reduce clutter.
Keep Desktops Free Of Clutter
This one sounds easy, but it’s the most difficult to keep up. Implementing a clean desk policy means you reduce the risk of losing data and you don’t have a thousand things cluttering up your space hampering your productivity. Make sure your desk essentials are in arms reach, and everything else is filed or stored away in drawers, cabinets or in trays. Our work styles are often reflect in our surroundings, and a clean workspace creates a productive workflow.
Create 2 Work Zones
Not all work is created equal, and you should approach office organisation with this two-zone perspective. Zone 1 should be for your computer work, and is your traditional desktop. You spend most of your time here, knocking stuff out and getting stuff done. Zone 2 should be where you go to do non-computer stuff. It could be the same desk, but simply another area that is cleared of monitors, cords and chargers. You can go here to thumb through documents, use your iPad, sign documents, or write letters – whatever doesn’t require a computer.
Of course, we have many more tips and tricks for creating an organised office space – including how to manage your paperwork processes. For more information or to pick our brains, get in touch with our team today and we’ll be happy to help.
Recent Comments