Considering that many of us spend a good one-third of the day in our office, decluttering at work is just as important as at home. Suggested practices for office decluttering include:
- Make sure there is a designated place for everything.
- Manage paper.
- Avoid bringing in anything that has no value or use.
- Sett aside time each to assess and organize.
To begin your decluttering journey, first take stock of your needs. Spend a few days tracking what you find yourself reaching for, pulling out and using. Everything else will fall into one of two categories: rarely used or never used.
General Decluttering
For things you need to access, organize them so they have designated homes, places where they belong, out of sight but within reach. Storage bins, drawer organizers and cabinets or shelves can be helpful options. Find storage away from your immediate work area for items you rarely use but occasionally need. Items you never use should be completely removed from your space; consider regifting, recycling, tossing or donating. (Broken or unused electronics, like monitors and printers should be discarded with care. Visit www.opala.org for instructions on safe disposal of unwanted electronics.
Reducing Paper
While it is difficult to go completely paperless, it is possible to dramatically reduce the amount of paper in your office. Distribute or recycle magazines, catalogs and newspapers on regular and frequent basis. Digitize business cards, receipts and other important documents to eliminate the need for paper/hard copies. If you have notes taped to your desk, computer monitor or walls, toss what is no longer needed; and if the item truly needs to be posted, move it to a bulletin or magnetic board.
Keyboards, Monitors and Wires
There are several solutions that free up space on your worksurface. Consider wireless keyboards (and mice) or installing a keyboard tray under your work surface. CPU mounts or slings can also be installed under the work surface. Monitor arms are a great way to reclaim quite a bit of your work surface (and allows you to adjust the height of your monitor for less neck and eye strain). Finally, there are several options for taming the many unsightly wires found on, under and behind your desk. Something as simple as zip ties can be used, as can different wraps or sleeves.
An organized and clutter-free office not only feels good, it sends a positive message to your colleagues and clients. Decluttering is not an expensive undertaking. Instead, it takes some vigilance to prevent clutter from building up and practice to keep things where they belong.
Let 2019 be the year you begin working toward a clutter-free workspace and become part of Marie Kondo’s #organizetheworld movement.