8 Tips for Decluttering and Organizing Your Office Space

Are you drowning in piles of documents, office supplies, emails and post-it notes? Do you spend time looking for files, memos or other important stuff? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you’re losing valuable productivity.

Clutter constantly signals to our brain that our work is never done, causing us to be anxious and stressed out. Studies show that your cortisol levels (stress hormone) rise when you’re in a cluttered environment.

Furthermore, in a study conducted at Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, researchers found that clutter makes you distracted and unable to focus and process information as well as you do in an organized and calm environment.

To be on your A-game, clear away the clutter before you start working. A messy environment will just cloud your senses, and your productivity will go down.

Here are some recommendations to de-clutter your office – and your mind in the process!

Straighten your desk

At the end of the day, tidy up your desk so you have a clean start the next day. Toss anything you don’t need, sort paperwork and mail and take home any personal items. There’s nothing like the feeling of getting to work in the morning in a nice, clean space. If you can’t do this daily, set a reminder on your calendar to straighten your workspace for ten minutes once a week.

File weekly

Put your papers in a “To File” folder and file everything once a week. At the same time, organize your files in your computer and in your email inbox.

Archive files

When a project is complete, gather all the materials and file them away. Do the same in your computer so that you can easily access it if needed.

Toss those post-its!

Trade in sticky notes on your monitor for calendar reminders. Less paper = less visual clutter.

Label, label, label

Label everything – drawers, cabinets, files and any other place where you keep “stuff.” That way you know where everything goes and you can find what you need in no time.

Keep your desk clean of unnecessary items

Less stuff means more creativity! The only things you need on your desk are your computer, a paper tray for mail and documents, a few pens and a paper pad. Everything else can go in drawers.

Organize drawers

Don’t just stuff it in the drawers! Office supplies like staplers, paper clips and white-out should be kept in desk drawers in designated zones.

Return items to their place

When you take something out of its designated space to use it, put it back immediately after you’re finished with it. Sounds simple, but you need to commit to it.

Take a deep breath

No, that’s not a decluttering tip. It’s what you’ll be able to do when you sit down to work in a clean, organized space where you can find whatever you need in a matter of seconds. Enjoy your new productivity… and state of mind.

Submitted by Nathalie