A Fresh Start: 7 Tips for Decluttering Your Office

A cluttered office space reduces productivity and can increase stress. Yet, the idea of decluttering and getting everything under control can be a little overwhelming. Use the tips here to start decluttering your office. You’ll be more comfortable while you work and will notice it’s easier to find anything you need when you need it.

Use Storage Options to Remove Items

While it’s often a good idea to keep as much as possible in the office so it can easily be reached, overstock of office supplies, old files that won’t be accessed often, and more can be moved to a storage space to free up as much room as possible inside the office. This helps make more room for things that are needed and accessed regularly.

Clear Out All the Clutter

Go through everything in the office and get rid of anything that’s not needed at all. If there’s a broken coffee maker or a computer that no longer turns on, go ahead and take the steps to get rid of it. Toss as much as possible, making sure anything electronic is wiped before it’s thrown away to avoid someone else accessing confidential information from it.

Digitize as Much Paperwork as Possible

Paperwork creates clutter as it just seems to multiply and stack up overnight. Instead of keeping documents, receipts, and more in the office, find a way to easily digitize as much of the paperwork as possible. This gets the paperwork on the computer where it can easily be filed and found when needed and allows paper copies to be shredded so they no longer take up space.

Create a Filing System

Go through the paperwork typically kept in the office and figure out a good filing system that makes it easy to find and access documents when they’re needed. When there’s a solid filing system in place, it’s easier to make sure all documents are stored in the right place and those who need a document will be able to find it quickly.

Make Sure Everything Has a Home

Everything else in the office, from printer paper to staples, needs to have its own place. Add storage if needed or go through and organize the storage that’s already available to make sure everything has a home and can be found when it’s needed. While this step might take the longest, it’s going to have the biggest impact as everything can be put away when it’s not being used so it’s not on a desk creating more clutter.

Keep Desktop Items to a Minimum

Once everything has a home, it’s important to keep desktop items to a minimum. A few photos are fine, though they might be better hanging on the wall instead of sitting on the desk. Personalizing the desk is fine, but fewer items on the desk help to make it look cleaner and less cluttered. Stick with just a few personal items on the desk and place others on shelves or on the wall.

Create a Schedule for Cleaning

Even though the office is decluttered and clean after the above steps, it won’t take much for clutter to take over again. Create a schedule for cleaning to make sure everything is put away and the entire office is sanitized. This helps keep clutter off the desks and ensures the office continues to look great.

Decluttering the office will take some work, but it’s possible to remove all the clutter and keep the office looking nice. Follow the steps here to start decluttering your office and to make sure it’s as organized and clean as you want.