Below you'll find a step-by-step guide that will take your office from chaos to simplicity, according to Master Simplifier and Owner of White Space, Cynthia Ivie. Her method of office organization takes very little time to step up and will keep your office neat for days to come.
What you'll need:
- A drawer organizer. Cynthia suggests using a bathroom vanity organizer.
- A desktop organizer with two trays.
- Different colored file folders.
- A second computer monitor.
How to Organize your Office:
- Purge. Get rid of everything you don't need by either donating it, recycling it or throwing it out.
- Put important papers in color-coded file folders.
- Keep only one place to jot down your reminders and tasks. Having only one place for your notes will eliminate clutter and make it easier for you to see what you need to do. So get rid of all your note pads, including your sticky pads, except for one. If you prefer keeping all of your notes in a computer document or calendar, then get rid of all of your note pads. You won't need them.
- Separate everything that is left into piles according to how often you use those items. The first pile should be items you use frequently, the second pile should be items you use sometimes and the third pile should be items you rarely use.
- The items you use frequently should be within an arm's length from where you sit and should be on the side of your body that is the easiest for you to use. So if you're right handed, those items should be on your right side. If you're left handed, those items should be on your left side.
- When putting small items such as pencils, calculators and paper clips in drawers, use a drawer organizer. Designate each compartment for one type of item. So your paper clips will be in a separate compartment from your pencils, which will be in a separate compartment from your pens.
- Next, you should put away the items you use sometimes. Those items should be the second closest items to where you sit. They do not need to be within an arm's length, but they should be easy to access.
- Finally, put away the items you rarely use. Those items should be the items farthest away from you.
- Once everything is put away, place your desktop organizer on your desk. The first tray is for items you must deal with that day. At the end of each night that tray should be empty, which will make coming into your office each morning refreshing because you will have a "clean slate" as Cynthia called it. The second tray is for long-term projects. Resist the temptation to use the trays as a spot for paper you don't know what to do with. They should only be for daily tasks and long-term projects.
- Cynthia suggests using a second monitor because using a second monitor has been shown to increase productivity by 30 percent. If you decide to use a second monitor, keep your calendar and to do list on the one monitor and use the other monitor for browsing the web and doing work.
- The last office organization step is the hardest: keep your desk clear. After taking the time to reorganize your entire office, it's now time to work in it. Instead of falling back into old habits and putting all of your current work on your desk, you should keep everything put away until the moment you need it. Otherwise, as Cynthia said, "Where do you work?" So keep those desktops clear of everything except what you're working on at that moment.