We all know how an untidy workspace can negatively affect both the atmosphere and the productivity of the whole collective, but when the time for tidying-up comes, nobody accepts the job with pleasure. Luckily for you, we have prepared a list of tips & tricks you can implement to keep your workspace clutter-free and, therefore, make the boring routine a lot easier. So, read through the following lines and see what you can do to improve your working conditions and experience the benefits of a clean and healthy working environment.
1. A Box for New Arrivals
Organizing your working environment is a key to avoid clutter accumulation, so if you know what goes where before it actually enters your office, you already have the advantage. Therefore, what you should consider in order to enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free space, is to design a special box for all the new material that arrives for further modification. Find some space within your department where you can stash everything that awaits to be worked on in the following period so you do not have to fumble across the whole office because you misplaced the material. This does not only help you keep your workspace clutter-free, but it also enables you to increase your productivity.
2. A Place to Put Away the Finished Stuff
Similar to the previous piece of advice, this one regards the paperwork and other types of material that you have already finished and that needs to move forward. You should find a place within your office where you will lay aside the items you are done with, so you always know where they are and save time you would otherwise spend searching for them. When you standardize these things, you will soon begin to notice the benefits of quality room organization.
3. Recycle Bin
Having a trash can is so important that you cannot even erase the actual icon from your desktop. Jokes aside, but getting a recycle bin for your office can work wonders for the tidiness of your working environment. Not only will you make your workspace neat, but you will also be able to emphasize your environmental awareness when someone enters your office.
4. Store Your Projects Appropriately
It does not matter if you work with a lot of paperwork or you keep your finished projects in a digital form. One way or another, you should sort them according to the criteria that work best for you. Namely, you should opt for the approach that suits you best, whether it is a cardboard box or a separate shelf, or anything else you find appropriate for placing past years of work materials. If you keep your stuff organized, you will easily find whatever you might be searching for without making a mess out of your workspace.
5. Be Careful with Sticky Notes
Everyone that has ever used sticky notes knows how useful they can be. Apart from that, we are all familiar with how much they can contribute to the overall clutter. Since we consider you are not willing to renounce this type of reminder, what you should do is update it more frequently. Either buy a notebook where you will rewrite everything of importance or transfer your sticky notes to digital form, so you can get rid of the surplus paper and recycle it in your new bin. If you really cannot function without your paper helpers, make sure you use them locally, instead of sticking them all over your office.
If you have not yet learned about the benefits of online flowcharts, feel free to explore more about the subject at zenflowchart.com. It will not only facilitate your office work but also help you keep your workspace clutter-free and a more enjoyable place to be.
6. Get a Microfiber Cloth
No matter how graceful you might be, spillages do happen, whether they originate from your morning coffee or an afternoon tea. Also, dust needs to be brushed from time to time in order to keep your desk as tidy as it can get. Therefore, what you need is a simple microfiber cloth you can use to swiftly get your workplace in perfect order. Keep it in a drawer at your desk or find another place in your office within your hands reach, so you can react quickly if something unpredicted happens.
7. Organize the Cables
Contemporary offices are overcrowded with various cables and if they are not in perfect order, they represent an ideal ground for clutter accumulation. What you should do is organize and keep them tidy at all times, since the chances you will have to reschedule them frequently are not that high. Use a simple duct tape to attach the cables one to another and enjoy the moment when you realize they do not have to look like an intricated shoelace.
8. Do not Eat at Your Office
Yes, we all have to eat, but we are not obligated to eat inside our working place. Having snacks at your office causes an immense amount of litter no matter how hard you try to avoid spreading crumbles all over the place. Implement this as a rule you will stick to, as well as your colleagues. This approach will not only save you from having to clean after yourself after you finish your snack but will also affect your physique since you will have to leave the office. Jokes aside, but try having your meals in the open, rather than spending all the time in closed rooms, since it will help you breathe some fresh air and stretch your legs a bit.
Have you found some useful clutter fighting techniques? Hopefully, the aforementioned will help you deal with the boring litter and help you organize your working environment in a neat and useful way. The answer to your troubles is to either stop the clutter from entering the space or to put it under supervised control. Therefore, combine the suggestions listed above and opt for the ones you consider are the most effective for your cause.