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How to be organized in the office

Set aside 15 minutes a day to declutter and organise your desk, papers and electronic documents:

1. Sort and purge paper, stationary not used, junk mail.

2. Put items away into separate boxes, files, shelves.

3. Make your office more efficient and attractive to people who enter the room.

4. Label materials clearly.

5. Keep filing up to date

6. Deep clean your desk, phones, equipment.

7. Organize desk drawers..

1. Sort and purge

Begin by addressing any piles of papers or supplies on your desk, chairs or shelves. Sort them into piles, including papers to file, current work projects and items to shred or throw away. Once you’ve made your piles, file the appropriate documents, neatly stack current work projects on your desk and get rid of unnecessary papers and materials.

2. Put items away

Items like coffee mugs, highlighters, snacks and notebooks can quickly pile up in your workspace. Put anything you’re not immediately using away to reduce clutter, and make sure each item has a specific space so that you know where to look when you need it.

3. Make your office more efficient

Consider how you like to work. For example, perhaps you prefer answering emails at the start of your day while drinking your coffee. Create dedicated areas for your most common tasks and responsibilities, and put the supplies and materials related to each task in their dedicated work area for increased efficiency.

4. Label materials

Label drawers, bins and other storage containers so that you can find what you need quickly and efficiently. This is especially helpful for supplies, materials or documents you don’t use very often.

5. Filing up to date

Go through the paperwork in your filing cabinet, and make 3 piles of documents to keep, move or shred. Combine related documents in the same folder or file, move necessary records to other locations and safely dispose of unneeded papers. Think about the documents and materials you use most frequently. Place those in an easy-to-access tray or container on your desk or in the appropriate dedicated workspace to save yourself time while working.

6. Deep clean your desk

Once you have cleared the clutter, remove everything else from your desk and deep clean it. Sanitize your computer keyboard, mouse and any other frequently used supplies like pens or phones. After cleaning your desktop, organize any commonly used supplies into trays, baskets or cups for easy access. Label and put away any remaining items until they’re needed.

7. Organize desk drawers

Once the top of your desk is clean, it’s time to organize your drawers. Start by emptying one desk drawer at a time. Look through the papers, supplies and other items in the drawer, and sort items into piles to either keep, move or throw away. Place the items you want to keep back in the drawer, move unrelated items elsewhere and get rid of anything unnecessary.

Contact me for decluttering and maintaining your Email Folders or setting up an efficient document management system online.

~ Mary Jordon

Virtual Assistant/Office Organiser

Email:  xpressonline@bigpond.com