If completing your tasks on time at the office seems to be a hassle, start by taking a look around you. A messy work space is not only visually pleasing but can also make it harder for you to process information and focus. Clutter can be a major distraction as it creates stress, guilt and anxiety. Here are a few office organization tips and tricks to bear in mind when getting and keeping your desk organized.
Rather than chucking your wallet, phone, keys or purse on your desk, designate some specific place to store them. Consider keeping them out of sight, especially your phone, to reduce any distractions.
Your desk may be clean and spotless, but if your computer is full of unsorted files and icons, you might have a hard time focusing. Digital messes can be distracting as well so spare some time each week to clean up any unused documents and files and reduce the items on your desktop if you prefer a more streamlined home screen.
A simple rule to avoid procrastinating is that if something takes less than two minutes, work on it right away. Similarly, if you can complete a task at work in 15 minutes or under, just do it. Finishing tasks ASAP gets them out of the way, both mentally and physically.
Take a few moments each day after work to clean your desk and wipe it down. The idea is to get rid of any clutter or items you won’t need the next day so that you have a clean desk and a fresh start each morning.
We are in the digital age and technology gives you an opportunity to scan documents and store them online. Scan the documents you don’t need in physical copy and save them on your computer. You can then find somewhere to store the physical files and documents if possible.
Not everything can go directly into digital form, so keep a notebook handy to jot things such as reminders and phone numbers. While a notebook may take up some more real estate on your desk, it helps to keep those critical bits of information and ideas consolidated, rather spread all over your work table on a collection of envelopes, menus and scrap paper.
Getting your office organized is not as difficult as it may seem. Whenever you’re thinking about storing something on your desk, for example, consider how often you need or use it. If you don’t use the item often, put it somewhere safe and reserve your work area for things you use every day. Hopefully these office organization tips and tricks have helped you.