An unorganised workplace can be a real hindrance when you’re trying to work. Things never seem to be at hand when you need them and the simplest of jobs take ages to complete, while the mess itself can be very distracting. The following tips can be used to help avoid the problems caused by a cluttered workplace.
Declutter
When you’re fighting to keep your workplace organised you need to clear it of any unnecessary items, so anything that is not immediately needed can be removed. These don’t need to be thrown away however; storage companies, such as Ready Steady Store, offer offsite storage units where you can keep items secure until you find a more appropriate place for them.
Units typically vary in size, depending on what needs to be stored. For business paperwork that still needs to be kept (old invoices, for example), files and archived documents, one of the smaller units will suffice. A larger unit could be utilised if you have unwanted office furniture – desks, chairs, filing cabinets and other bulky items – you need to store for a time.
Take a step back
From the midst of the battle, things can look worse than they actually are so it is often helpful to take a step back from you workplace to assess the area from a wider angle. Away from the bombsite it is easier to consider things objectively with a clear head. Another useful way to identify the extent of the mess is to take a photo of your workplace.
Extra storage space
It can be extremely difficult to keep a well organised workplace if you don’t have enough room in which to manoeuvre, which can be a problem even after clearing your workplace of unnecessary items. One option to create extra space is to physically expand the area in which you work, however, this can be a time consuming and expensive choice. A cheaper alternative is to create extra space away from your desk with wall organisers and shelves, available from stores such as Homebase, Argos and eBay.
Give everything its own place
When you’re trying to keep an organised workplace, it is vital that everything has its own home. This is easy to do and you don’t even have to spend a lot of money on new items, with a bit of creativity you can just use the things that you have at home or in the office. Drawers and trays can be used for paperwork, empty kitchen roll tubes can house spare electrical cords, preventing them from unravelling messily, while bulldog clips attached to the edge of a desk (see the included image) can work brilliantly in keeping cable ends off the floor! Small objects, such as elastic bands and paper clips, can be put in individual pots and kept neatly in a spice rack.
Organise and reorganise, but not too much
Even with all of these ideas in place, an organised workplace will not keep itself tidy. It is very important to get into the habit of putting things back in their place once they have been used, otherwise you may find that your desk soon gets messy again. Although this can take a bit of time to get used to, if you make a quick tidy part of your daily work routine it will soon become second nature. This said, it is important to remember that untidy doesn’t necessarily mean disorganised, as long as you know where everything is then a bit of mess shouldn’t distract you.
