Having an office workspace that’s organised and clutter-free can not only boost your day but also lift your spirits. Furthermore, it gives you room to be more productive and frees you from the constant worry of not being able to find that one super important document. Perhaps you’ve put off tackling your ‘organised’ mess because you’re somehow attached to what’s in the room, are pressed for time or flat out just too mentally exhausted to make decisions about your stuff. But whatever the reason, here are six ways you can channel the Marie Kondo in you and hopefully, make decluttering your permanent way of life!
1. Sort Items According To ‘Keep’, ‘Throw/Recycle’ And ‘Belongs Elsewhere’
The good ‘ole rule of three’s works with a lot of things and this also applies to decluttering. Simply create three boxes and label them: ‘Keep’, ‘Throw/recycle’, and ‘Belongs elsewhere’. You should be able to find a place for everything. Even if you’re sentimental and can’t resist holding on to certain objects, you can find a new place for these items and still manage to remove the clutter from your office. You’ll be surprised at the amount of random items you have lurking around that you can actually discard or recycle!
2. Only Keep Things That You Need
It’s likely you don’t even need an item if you haven’t used or even seen it in three months. Sometimes it’s best to start from scratch – clear the office desk, then gradually add things back as you require them. This is similar as to having too many applications on your computer desktop. The more apps you install, the more cluttered your desktop will be. However, once you start organising the apps, you realise there’s only a handful that you really use on a daily basis.
The same goes for your office, be it at home or offsite. Start decluttering and you’ll find items on your desk or in your drawers that you haven’t touched for months on end! Don’t let them take up valuable real estate while adding nothing to your productivity. Getting rid of everything and slowly adding them back on helps you to refocus on what’s really needed. It’s an excellent way to determine which items serve a purpose or are simply redundant.
3. Organise Your Space In Order Of Usage
Once you’ve relatively reduced the clutter by only keeping what you need, the next step is to organise them in order of how regularly you use them. You might use your pens on a daily basis, but you’ll probably use the hole puncher once in a blue moon or not at all. You can start organising by placing your most frequently used items on your desk on in the top desk drawers for quick access. For instance, stationery should be within reach, but other office supplies like paper clips, rubber bands, staples, should be store in lower drawers. Keep to this method when arranging the rest of your cupboard spaces and shelves with the least-used items furthest away. This simple organisation hack will not only increase productivity but ensure that your most frequently used items are always close by.
4. Take Control Of Your Cables
The number of cables in every office multiply exponentially each time there’s a new gadget or office equipment. From mobile phone to laptop chargers and HDMI cords to computer cables, it seems like a never-ending battle keeping the cables under control. An excellent method is to invest in a labelling device like the Brother P-Touch or Casio Label Maker. Start labelling every cable as you install it at your workspace and in your office. Thereafter, get a box with compartments (similar to a jewellery box) where you can quickly and easily arrange your cables. This helps to ensure they stay organised, neat and tidy moving forward. Even an old shoe box will work and you can be creative to design compartments to store different cables.
5. Digitise Your Notes And Documents
Make digitising your notes and documents a save-the-earth project! It’s likely that your office clutter is paper-based – ranging from files, documents, post-it notes, business cards and more. Not only do these items take up space, but they may not be items that you need on a regular basis. Instead of keeping them around, digitize your documents by creating electronic copies, either by scanning or typing them out.
There are a ton of apps available for your mobile phone that can easily scan documents and store the required details on your phone. For example, you can take snapshots of crucial documents that you cannot risk losing, and then discard or recycle the paper versions. Additionally, you can also download note-taking apps like Evernote or sign in to Google Docs for essential notetaking. These apps, aside from helping you digitize notes, are also able to synchronise your notes across multiple devices through the cloud. One key benefit of digitising your documents? You can search through them easily without being engulfed in a sea of papers.
6. Make Organisation A Habit
The biggest challenge of decluttering is the consistency of it all. Staying clutter-free is only possible if you make organisation a habit. Whenever a new item added into your office or workspace, for example a new client’s business card or new document, decide what you plan to do with it right there and then, or at least before the end of the day. Revisit the ‘Keep’, ‘Throw/Recycle’ And ‘Belongs Elsewhere’ method to decide where to place the new item. The best way to stay clutter-free is to prevent clutter.
How can you organise better with Extra Space Asia?
Extra Space Asia provides services that can help you declutter and clean your office more efficiently. You can cart off items from your ‘Belong Elsewhere’ box and invest in Extra Space’s Smart Storage that’s available at Extra Space Ang Mo Kio, Kallang Way and Hillview. These storage units utilise a Smart keyless technology, making it secure and super convenient when you want to access your storage unit. Customers are able to unlock their storage unit doors via our Yes! app with the mere click of a button!
Need help with moving office? No problem! With over 10 years of experience in the self-storage industry, Extra Space Asia Self Storage has expanded its service arm to include e-Move, an all-new moving service, to its customers. Extra Space Asia’s e-Move provides a hassle-free moving experience to aid you through the stressful moving process. From small to big scale office moving, e-Move has got you covered. WhatsApp 83 452 452 for a quote today!
