As we welcome the New Year, there is no better time to clean up and organize your office space. Tidying up is an excellent habit of building and maintaining significant benefits tied along with it. Having a clean area to work in creates a sense of self-efficacy, maximizes productivity, decreases stress levels, and improves overall wellbeing. On the other hand, cluttered desks lead to procrastination, higher stress levels, and reduced self-confidence. If your initial thought when you sit down at your desk is, “Where do I begin?” then perhaps it’s time for a desk cleanup. To help you get started, we offer some office organization tips for the New Year.

Decluttering Your Desk

The first step in cleaning your desk is to sort through and purge all unnecessary items. Clutter on your desk is bound to build up over time. You may have little notes lying around that haven’t been looked at in months, pens that have run out of ink, and personal belongings scattered every which way. If there are important papers that you must keep, place them in their appropriate folders and store them. Aside from your work tools, any items you haven’t used in six months or longer should be tossed or recycled.

The second step is to organize. Grouping like-things together will make your items more easily accessible. Keep all pens, pencils, highlighters, and permanent markers together in one spot. Follow suit with all of your electronics, folders, notebooks, sticky pads, and personal belongings. Items that you use frequently should be stored inside bins if possible. As soon as you finish with an item, immediately return it to its home. Skipping this step is the main culprit when it comes to desk clutter.

The third step is to make your space neat—store grouped items in areas based on the frequency of use. For example, you should store pens and notebooks closest to you if you use them often. Labeling everything is optional, but it can help when you need an item quickly. Long wires may cause accidents and can even be a fire hazard, so we recommend keeping them taped against the wall or secured with velcro strips so that there are no excess wires in sight. Another great tip is to dedicate a “landing spot” on your desk, which will be the only spot you can place items. This space will help you build the habit of keeping your things together neatly.

Digital Decluttering

Once your desk is neat and organized, you can focus on digital clutter. If you often find yourself lost in a sea of emails and documents, then digital decluttering is for you. Take time to sort through your files, place them in their appropriate folders, and delete anything old or irrelevant. The same goes for your inbox, where casual messaging often takes place. Clearing your cache and cookies can also help improve your browsing experience. Finally, do not forget to back everything up.

If it has been a while since your last desk cleanup, make time today and start the new year off with a clean slate. We have created a list of office organization tips that you can refer to as you start the process. 

Office Organization Tips

  • Sort through and purge unnecessary items
  • Organize. Group like things together. You should store items not used frequently away in bins.
  • Make your space neat. Labels are helpful. Keep excess wires out of sight. Dedicate a “landing spot” to place all items currently being used.
  • Do a digital declutter. Delete old, irrelevant files and emails. Clear your cache and cookies. Back everything up afterward.

 

Cleaning and creating healthy environments with respect, honesty, and integrity are core descriptive words of Integrity Janitorial Cleaning Services.  Schedule a free consultation to discuss your janitorial cleaning needs, and we’ll get you started on a custom cleaning program to kick off the New Year!