The state of your workspace has a big impact on the way you do your job. While we often think of spring cleaning as a day where we take on projects and deep clean around the house, now is also an ideal time of year to re-organize our offices as well.
Research has shown that organised workspaces help employees feel more focussed, resulting in greater efficiency, happiness, and productivity. So, without further ado, here are some spring-cleaning tips to boost productivity and happiness at work.
Inspiration is key
It can be hard to get motivated in the first place. Tidying/ organizing up is usually a chore, but it doesn’t have to be. Picture how you want your office to look once you’re done and think about how that will make you feel. With an end goal in mind, it’ll be easier to get into the right mindset to start the job.
You can use things like Pinterest to get inspiration if you’re finding it difficult to picture what you want the final product to look like. There are many ways to organise your office and there are thousands of examples online so feel free to have a look around to get some ideas.
Patience is a virtue
Tradition may dictate that you organize your office area all at once but that doesn’t have to be the case every time; on the other hand, little and often helps.
Thinking about your office in terms of zone will help you be efficient, and it will encourage you to keep up with the organizational systems you’ve established, too. Organizing your space and your work into categories is an essential part of the process.
Some people might elect to take an afternoon to do the entire job. But, if your schedule doesn’t allow for that, don’t worry. You can accomplish just as much by spending just a few minutes here and there when you find the time. It’s more than ok to find your own way of getting things done and you should remind yourself that not everyone has to conform to one method.
Organizing
The great place to start with is your desk. If you have shelves or file cabinets in your workspace, this applies to those as well. From there, you can reassemble your workstation, which can also be a great time for rearranging or sorting through some things.
Once your surfaces are cleaned, you can go about organising everything you put on them. Arranging them in new positions if you want. Don’t be afraid to get creative if it means making your work more efficient and comfortable.
Paperwork
Paperwork can get out of hand fast. Spend some time sorting through your paperwork. File important papers away and shred any documents that you won’t need anymore. Put all loose paperwork into a filing system and keep folders for any paperwork that you’re currently working on.
Start a list of all your business contacts somewhere on your computer, such as your address book in your email. Keep track of their business name, photos, phone number, mailing address, and email addresses.
Not just physical paperwork either. Go through your e-mail inbox and delete those you don’t need or file them away. Clean up your computer desktop and delete old files or back them up to an external drive. Take the time to properly back up your files often, so you never lose important work. Clean up space and organise your pending tasks.
Lists
Sometimes, as simple as it is, a checklist can make all the difference. By sticking to a to-do list filled with all the parts of your office and how you want them tidied, different items you want to update/add to decorate (e.g. plants, photos/frames etc.), and/or all the different tasks you want to be accomplished can come in very handy.
Just tracking the process and reminding yourself of what is left to do can help you stay on track and can even help motivate you by showing you how much progress you’ve made.
When it comes to spring cleaning, it’s the little things that you should try to keep in mind. It can sometimes seem a daunting task but by remembering these small tips, you’ll find it’s much easier and you’ll have a far more organised workspace in no time.