Organize The Clutter

Who would want to go to their office everyday only to be faced with a mountain of unfiled documents in one corner, folders and documents spread all over the work surface in layers several inches deep, piles of old disks pushed here – landsliding stacks of reports there?  Old soda cans here, discarded reports and magazines pushed there? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to find the stapler, scissors, a pen, pencil or even just your keyboard and computer mouse easily? Do you sometimes get reprimanded because you totally blew by a deadline at work that you completely forgot because you didn’t have it written down on a calendar? There is an easy solution:  organize your office or workspace.

First, create some elbow room in your office or work area. Focus on clearing the walk-way in your office or work area. Take out any and all unnecessary office equipment, boxes stored along the walls or under a table or desk.  You will be impressed with the extra space that you acquire by doing this, less clutter leads to less stress.

Focus on clearing and cleaning your desktop first. Your desktop is the one thing in your office or work area that is used constantly. Your desktop or work surface area is more than just where you conduct small chit-chats with your coworkers, it serves to hold important files and documents, your laptop or computer, telephone, and possibly a fax machine.  Discard any and all trash – soda cans, coffee cups, old newspapers and magazines. Clear everything off your desk and group like items with like items on the floor or in one or more boxes nearby.  Place folders to be filed with other folders to be filed, place loose documents to be filed together, group pens and pencils and highlighters together.  You get the idea.  Discard or shred any papers that are no longer relevant to work you or doing or have done.  Any first drafts of finished documents, newsletters, old post it notes for completed tasks, etc. shred or throw them away.

Consider your desktop, high priced real estate. Once you’ve removed everything, ask yourself if what you’re about to put back on your desktop, “Is it worthy” of occupying space on your expensive real estate? Replacing your traditional stapler with the new style that balances on its ‘nose’  buys you several square inches of expensive real estate. Think vertical – racks that hold file folders vertically on your desktop, buys you some desktop real estate and holds them in a way that you can read the labeled tabs quickly at a glance.

Determine what items you use frequently and try to keep them within arm’s reach, if you can keep them within arm’s reach and easily stow able out of sight, all the better. If you find you need more support with your organizing, purchase or request more file folders for your filing drawers or desktop shelves and bins. Drawer organizers for writing devices, staples, staplers, paperclips, etc are also a great help.  There are even hanging bins that attach directly to a wall or hook over the top of a cubicle wall.

Can you automate? Are there any papers that you are constantly referring to? Can you type or scan them into a document on your computer and eliminate those pieces of paper? Is your computer’s ‘Desk Top’ just as cluttered as your real desk top? Time spent categorizing and organizing thos files into a flder structure is time well spent.

If your type of work requires you to move from one style of work to another or from one project or client to another, consider one large file folder for each project so that when you grab that folder, all information about that project or client is in one place, and when you close that folder you’re done with that project and can move smoothly and confidently to the next project or client. If you have to move from one set of tools to another, consider placing all tools associated with each type of work together in a basket or bin. Set a specific time of day when you do that type of work, so that you can concentrate on it. For example processing the mail, it comes once a day, pull out your basket containing a letter opener, staple remover, roll of stamps, paper clips, ink stamps with ink pad etc. Once you’re done processing the mail, all tools go back into the basket and the basket is put away clearing your desk for whatever comes next.

Label. Label. Label.  Label your bins and shelves and file folders so that you will know where to find something when you are looking for it.  You can take this organization one step further by organizing labeled files alphabetically or by task or job or client or other relevant criteria.  Hang a bulletin board or magnetic dry erase board on your wall to help you remember important appointments. You can also use a paper weight to help hold down and secure loose papers on your desk.

It is very important to organize your office or work area because it greatly reflects your character and personality.  If you want to give the impression of being put-together, organized, efficient and capable, it would be highly advisable to have a work space that reflects and projects this attitude.  Being organized can also help inspire your coworkers and team members to not only become organized, but stay that way. Missed deadlines, misplaced documents and the stress associated with them can be a thing of the past. A little time and effort organizing your office can have many lasting positive effects, you just need to do it.
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