Being organized reduces stress responses, provides a feeling of control and boosts efficiency.
What’s your organizational style? Neat and tidy? Random piles of papers? An organized mess?
Office organization is not just important for co-worker appreciation but is also proven to reduce stress. When your workspace is cluttered, your brain can get overwhelmed by the perceived extra work on top of your actual assignments.
Try these simple office organization ideas to make you and your workspace the best they can be.
- Purge the past
Remember all that junk you kept in case you needed it? Get rid of it! Take a look around and consider tossing, shredding or emptying anything you haven’t used in a while. Pro-tip: If it’s covered in dust, it’s fair game for the trash bin.
- Neatly hide the rest
Now that you’ve decided what to keep, it’s time to put it away. A typical desk setup can have monitors, laptops, phones, chargers and all types of electronics. With all those wires getting crossed, a small mess quickly becomes a disaster.
Make use of drawers, cabinets and slots to hide non-essential electronics and their wires. If your desk doesn’t have a slot, try using a binder clip to group wires together to keep them from getting out of hand.
- Revisit your storage system
What can be stored digitally? What do you need on paper? Once you file documents into digital and print, make use of a label maker to make sure everything is properly marked.
Revisiting your storage system might also include reconsidering what you need to be stored within reach versus faraway. Organize supplies that you need most within reach and put things you rarely use in more distant storage. You are less likely to leave commonly used objects out on your desk if they belong in a drawer right at your fingertips.
- Set aside time for ongoing organization
Keeping things tidy is a never-ending job. Make it easy by creating a routine that works for you. This may mean setting aside the last 15 minutes of your day to organize an old pile of paper you haven’t cleared out yet. Or making a promise to yourself to never leave your desk messy at the end of the day. With some practice and consistency, ongoing organization will become a natural part of your routine in no time
- Tackle one task at a time
Staying organized goes beyond your physical space. It’s common to jam-pack your workday with overlapping projects, but studies show multitasking can make you less efficient. In fact, we are more likely to make a mistake when trying to divide our attention between multiple tasks. Prioritize assignments independently and incorporate breaks into your day to complete your work efficiently.
Whether you use one, two or ten organization ideas, putting effort into maintaining an efficient workspace will pay off in a big way. Instead of spending time rummaging through clutter, you’ll be able to focus on your work and enjoy being mess-free.
Clicking third-party links will open a new tab and will take you away from YourMedicare.com. YourMedicare.com, LLC does not control the linked sites’ content or link.
