The work will be highly effective, partly based on how to organize office space. This will help improve your focus and efficiency while working as you won't have too much clutter. Once you've put everything in a specific place, it saves a lot of time looking for it later. We should try changing the layout of the office furniture to make you less stressed throughout the day. Once the office layout is set up, organizing the office supplies and papers will make the office clean and tidy. What are the steps to sort? Follow our discussion below!
1. Adjust the layout
1.1 Set up a desk with a window view if possible
Having a window seat while you work can help reduce stress levels and help you focus better on your work. Move the desk to a position where it is easy to sit down and look out the window occasionally. Check to make sure there's no glare on your computer screen or bright light hitting your eyes throughout the day so you don't get distracted or annoyed.
If you're working in an open-plan office or small cubicle, talk to your office administrator or boss to see if you can change the position of your desk.
1.2 Keep the items you use most often close to you
Make a list of the things you use on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis so you know what's important to keep with you. Keep the things you use every day within reach of your desk so you can get to them when you need them.
If you don't use your belongings very often, store them in a drawer or closet farther away to eliminate clutter and save space. Furthermore, if you don't use the printer often, keep it on the other side of the room so it doesn't take up space on your desk. In case, if there are some things you use multiple times a day, keep them on your desk, on a nearby shelf, or in the top drawer of your desk.
1.3 Get rolling furniture that can move things out easily
Invest in additional drawers, shelves, or cabinets with wheels so you can pull things out when needed and then put them back in. Keep short things, like cabinets or filing cabinets, under your desk if you have space, and move them only when they need to be retrieved. Also, try using an office chair with wheels if you can so you can roll to another part of the office to grab something.
1.4 Leave a trash can in the office
Arrange a small crate next to the desk or underneath it if you have extra leg room. That way, if there is any trash or files that you don't need anymore, you can throw them away immediately instead of letting them clutter up your space. However, remember to change the trash bag regularly to keep the office fresh and clean. In particular, shred any documents with personal information before you throw them away.
1.5 Personalized decoration in the office
Keep a few personal items in the office to make it a personal space and so that it doesn't feel too sterile. Hang art on the wall or hang pictures on the desk to turn the office into a place to relax. Moreover, gorse or small plants can be left somewhere on the desk as long as it does not clutter the workspace. However, limited to 1-2 items on the desk, otherwise, they may take up too much space.
2. Store a supplies
2.1 Discard unused supplies
First, you need to categorize the things in the office and determine how often to use them. If any items are rarely or never used, put them in a separate box or container.
If you're in an office building, put away any unused supplies in a supply cabinet so they can be retrieved if they need them. However, if you have a lot of unused pens or supplies, see if you can donate them to the school so teachers can use them in the classroom without having to buy new ones.
2.2 Store pens with small office supplies in cups
Place 1-2 cups on the table within arm's reach and put all the pens inside them. Store other long office supplies, like scissors, in their cups. Store pens and supplies with them facing down so you don't accidentally injure yourself when you try to grab something. Moreover, you can buy tabletop guitars with different compartments if you don't want to use a lot of cups. Use glass jars if you want your desk to look more decorative.
2.3 Use silver storage trays to sort small office supplies
Get silver storage trays with multiple compartments so office supplies can be separated. Store similar supplies in the same section of the tray to stay organized. Put frequently used items in the front of the drawer and anything you use less in the back.
Besides, you can buy small plastic bins and place them inside the drawer however you want.
2.4 Labeling of crates
Put items you don't use often in storage bins and store them in cabinets or shelves if you can. Only put 1-2 different items in the same bin so they don't get disorganized. Make paper labels for each bin and stick them on the side so you can see at a glance what's stored in them. On the other hand, you can buy plastic storage bins from any department store or online.
2.5 Get a cord holder to eliminate clutter underneath the desk
The cords under the desk can look disorganized and easily wrap around your feet. Group all the cables and close them inside a wire rack so they don't rest on the floor. Secure the cord holder to the wall or below the table to keep the cables organized. Alternatively, you can purchase wire racks from office supply stores or online. Furthermore, secure the cables to each other or the edge of the table with Velcro strips or zip ties.
3. Get rid of paper clutter
3.1 Shred documents
Avoid throwing in any documents with things like account statements, legal documents or credit cards, and social security numbers. You should get a paper shredder to shred documents so that other people can't steal the information. After the papers are completely cut, the debris can be thrown away as usual.
In case you have important documents that cannot be taken away, like your birth certificate, social security card or living will, keep them in a fireproof safe to protect them from any damage.
3.2 Arrange papers in the paper tray
The paper trays have multiple layers so that different types of documents can be separated. Choose a portrait tray if you don't have a lot of space or a landscape tray if you have some space. Place the arranger near the edge of your desk so you can easily reach it throughout the day and get what you need. Label each floor for some material.
You can buy paper trays from stores that have office supply.
The paper tray also works well for holding files or notebooks.
Designate a section on your desk that is always clean so there's room to spread out if needed.
3.3 Hang a bag on the wall
Wall-mounted bags are plastic trays with many compartments to hold documents and briefcases. Place a wall bag near your desk so you can get papers off your desk and reduce clutter. Make sure the different compartments are labeled to avoid confusion later. The wall pocket is hung on the back of the door.
3.4 Hang a bulletin board
Find a spot on the wall with enough space for a bulletin board and place one on it. Organize the bulletin board into sections where items can be pinned, like documents, receipts, sticky notes, and memos. Keep the most important documents visible and stack older documents underneath.
Many chambers already have walls that can be put pins in. From there, use different colored staples for each type of document you hang. In addition, it is also possible to pin personal photos if there is no space for them on the desk. In case, if you don't have room for a full-sized bulletin board, you can buy small squares of cardboard to hold papers.
3.5 Color-coded folders
When receiving folders of files in different colors and arranging documents so that similar documents all have the same color. Label the tabs on the folders with the document type inside. Once you've organized your documents, put them in the filing cabinet in the paper tray so they can be found easily. Besides, you can attach color labels to the tabs of the file folder if you don't want to buy multiple colors.
3.6 Store memos and schedules digitally
If you want to cut down on paper usage, try writing any notes or schedules on your computer. Create folders on your computer and organize documents into them, or use an online program to organize files. When a file is outdated, delete it so it doesn't clutter up the computer. On the other hand, back up any important documents on a cloud storage site or an external hard drive so you don't lose them if your computer crashes. Furthermore, if a scanner is available, it is possible to upload physical documents to a computer so that paper documents can be removed.
Conclusion
Through sharing tips on how to organize office space, you will probably find many ways to organize your office. However, you need to pay attention to some of the information we mentioned above to better understand and determine the right focus of the arrangement.
