When setting up an office, functionality is the key factor in being organized; but all too often we end up having too much clutter.  Whether it is from having an over abundance of office equipment for the space available and/or numerous supplies that are not stored in their proper place, this makes for dysfunctional small or home offices.

Are there so many piles of paperwork on your desk that you can no longer located that file you need?  Are you wasting time daily moving things around so that you have a clear workspace in which to get things done?   Do you need to call in a search and rescue team to assist you in finding what you are looking for?  If you are experiencing any of these things then they are all clues that you need to organize your office.

Even if you have a state-of-the-art office design you will fail in accomplishing the simplest of tasks if you overlook the importance of organizing your office.

Steps to Getting Organized

Make your office one that you can work productively in without the stress of clutter surrounding you by following these steps:

1)  Remove excess furniture and make sure that your pathways are clear.

A person I know had a coffee table in the middle of his office.  Whenever he moved from the desk to the filing cabinet he would run into the coffee table and hit his shin.  The table was an unneeded piece of furniture because he never entertained clients in his office.  It ended up being a magnet for piles of overflow paperwork and junk. Removing the coffee table made it easier for him to move about the office and spared him from shin injuries that were waiting to happen.

If there are unnecessary furniture obstacles in your office design remove them so that you have more space and can walk around with ease.

2)  Keep your desktop clean.

Start this task by removing everything from the top of your desk and then determining what is absolutely necessary to be there. Obviously your phone and computer should be on your desk.  Then ask yourself about the rest of the items that you removed.  If  any of them aren’t something you use everyday then find other places for them.

Take care of the pile of paperwork that you always had grand plans to file.  Take the time to file them  properly and you will be surprised how much wasted time you can save when you don’t have to go through numerous piles trying to locate that certain file you need.   Throw away that half-eaten donut that has been there who knows how long.

3)  Organize your desk and drawers with caddies and trays.

Take some time to shop office supply stores.  There you will find all kinds of shapes and sizes of plastic trays and caddies that fit perfectly in desk drawers. They keep your office supplies organized and make them easy to find. Now all of your pens, pencils, paper clips, and thumb tacks have a specific place to go.

Create an “inbox” and “outbox” with stacking trays to keep the top of your desk tidy and organized.  You will find that this will help you save space.

4)  Consider updating your office equipment.

Take a look at your office equipment to determine if any pieces need to be replaced to improve productivity.  If your computer is slowing you down consider getting a memory or hard drive upgrade or even a new computer.  If your old printer, fax machine and/or scanner has seen better days it may be time to invest in a multi-function printer. Now might be the time to upgrade your touch tone phone to a speaker phone.  By combining some of your old pieces of equipment with an all-in-one piece, your office design functionality will be improved and you will have more work space available.

5)  Everything in its place.

A good way to clear your desk and get more work space is by dedicating separate work spaces for some of your essential office equipment.  Your multi-function printer/copier does not need to sit on your desk. Invest in a printer stand or credenza on which to place it that is within a usable distance to free up more of that valuable desk real estate. As an added benefit you will have more shelf space storage for printer paper and such.

If you have a small desk and find that you need more desktop room try adding a small table next to your desk that will add an elegant touch to your office design and serve as an additional work area. Make sure it is the right height so that you can use it without having to hunch over.

If your desk is cluttered with books or manuals investing in a book shelf will add more workspace.

By taking these steps you will make your office more organized thereby leading to a more productive workplace and business.

 

Tags: office, organizing, productivity

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