How to Organise Your Office in 4 Easy Steps

Do you have a home office? If so, you are probably working in a space that is over-cluttered and barely accessible. You probably call this creative chaos, but what it really represents is a great big mess. In order to have a productive day, and to be able to work without distractions, you need a calm, clean and organised work space.

This is the key for doing your best while working. Unfortunately, many people say that they do not have time to clean up. Plus, they think cleaning is a waste of time, as the mess is inevitable. However, this is not completely true. If you make the right plan and stick to it, you will end up with a pristine work environment. Here are the steps to follow in case you decide to re-organise your office.

Step 1: Purge the Room

The first step you will need to take is cleaning up the clutter. By purging the room, that is, getting rid of all the unnecessary stuff, you will have a better overview of the whole place. It will give you a great base for every other step. Start the purge by going through all the stuff and dividing it into a few categories.

For example, the things you will throw away, the things you can keep and use in the future, and the things you can donate. In case you have some useless sentimental stuff, remove it from the room, but keep it in a storage unit. This is a great solution for any of your extra furniture, clothes, or anything else.

Step 2: Plan the Layout and Create Zones

After you have finished with the first step, proceed with the next one; making the layout of the office space. This means you will plan how the furniture will fit, where the desk will go, where to put the shelves or cabinets, etc.

Basically, this is called “zoning out the room”. Think of how you want the room divided and where each activity will be taking place. For example, you will have a desk for all the main work. Also, you will have an area for the computer and for any additional tasks. It would be great to separate those, as it will provide better organisation and more freedom.

Step 3: Get Your Filing Cabinets and Trays in Order

Once you have set up all the furniture and you are done zoning your office, move on to organizing your shelves and cabinets. Organize them according to your preferences or the type of projects you do. Actually, you could do it in any way that works best for you.

You can arrange your folders or boxes alphabetically. Moreover, filing trays should be around your desktop. This will make it easier for you to deal with daily mail and all that paperwork. After you have finished with them, you can move them to a folder for finished projects. Organizing your office storage space would be the same as organizing folders on your computer.

Step 4: Clear Out the Desktop Space

It is very important to create an optimal layout on your desk. The best solution would be if you avoided cluttering it with too many notebooks, papers and unrelated things. When you are working on a project, the only things you should have on the desk should be the material related to that project; nothing else.

If you keep everything near you, you will easily get distracted. Also, you could waste a lot of time searching through piles of books and papers. So, keeping it simple is the best solution. Not only does a clear desk make it easier for you to work, but it also saves a lot of time.

If you follow these steps, you will end up with a clutter-free, productive office space. It will make you want to spend time in there, and do as much work as possible. When you start designing your office, make sure you combine your own preferences with the best organisational methods. This will lead you to the best solution.