Are you the type of person that has piles of ‘stuff’ all over your desk? Have you got a mountain of filing to be done [how old school of you!] or what feels like millions of e-mails to respond to? How about your desktop? Does it look like a kid has scattered icons all over it like stickers?
If your office is feeling out of control, here are some tips to help you get organised and keep it in line on a daily basis.
1. Don't overload your desktop
Your desktop is where the work gets done, so don’t use up every piece of real estate with storage products. Consider what you need within your immediate reach and have those items on top of your desk, other things can be stored in your drawers. You can use stackable trays and wall space to help clear your desktop too.
2. Keep your drawers under control
I urge you to say no to the junk drawer! While it’s easy to let things pile up in your drawers to keep your desktop tidy, you’ll want to tackle your drawers when giving your office a serious clean. Try using drawer inserts to keep everything organised once you’ve gotten rid of unnecessary clutter.
3. Have a Friday purge
I love doing a final desk clean on a Friday afternoon before I switch off for the week. It’s so satisfying to tidy my desk, put things away in drawers and give my desk and screen a clean. It’s also really nice to come back after the weekend to an organised and clean work space!
Friday also sees me get my inbox down to zero [or as close as I can] and filing all my soft copy documents that may have been left on my desktop over the course of the week.
4. Go paperless
Scan paperwork and file the soft copies. If you have papers that you need to keep, consider scanning them to your online document management system and recycling the hard copies.
5. Sort out your cords
In any modern office lies a dreaded pile of cords. From phone chargers to adapters, it’s easy for wires to get out of control. Use a cord wrap (mine is from Ikea) or cable tie to gather the wires. This helps stop them taking over your desk or looking unsightly under it. You’ll be surprised by how much space is freed up when you tame your cords and follow the rest of these office organisation ideas.
6. Invest in storage
Invest in some good storage solutions for your office. Whether that be under desk, wall or cupboard, think about what you need to store and how you can make it work in the space that you have. There are so many places to purchase but I tend to head to Ikea for their pretty storage solutions.
So there you have it, my top six tips to help you keep your office organised. With a bit of work up front and a little bit of time each week, you can keep your work space organised which helps you be your most productive self!
Good luck …
Marie Robertson-King
After decades working in mining, aviation and oil & gas, Marie founded Empress of Order, a virtual assistant service, in 2018 and quickly became fully booked. With a background in operations and safety, focussing on processes, systems and procedures, Marie now supports busy business owners and helps them bring order to their lives!
She’s certified by the VA Institute and was named in the Inside Small Business Top 50 Business Leaders in 2020. Marie facilitates a coworking day each month in her hometown of Perth, where business owners get together to work and build connections. This year Marie expanded her empire with the purchase of The Digital Mums Directory, an online membership and directory for female digital experts in Australia, with a biz friend. She lives in the beautiful Perth Hills with her husband Simon and fur-baby Jasper. She can’t function without her morning coffee and loves a glass of bubbles or a cocktail in the evening.
