Professional Organizer in NYC’s Tips to Declutter Your Office
Ready to declutter your office once and for all? This Professional Organizer in NYC knows that productivity increases when you are working in an organized space. But where do you even begin? Here are four simple steps to a clutter free office space.
Schedule a decluttering date. Most people don’t get around to ditching the clutter because they have a packed schedule. With client projects, office meetings, and a long to-do list of tasks, you don’t have a lot of extra time in your day. Instead of putting it off any longer, treat decluttering your office like any other appointment – schedule it! Block time on your schedule in 30 minute or larger chunks to take on the task, and keep that time block free of any other tasks or meetings.
Sort it on the spot. Before you dive in, you’re going to want to set up three sorting piles: items that can return home (or elsewhere – such as items that belong in the office supply inventory), things that can be thrown away, and items that can be donated or recycled. Pretty self-explanatory, but as you go through your office and find items you no longer need in the space, decide immediately what to do with it and put it in the correct pile. Bring home extra personal items, throw away broken or used up office supplies, and donate or recycle old office equipment that you no longer need.
Give everything a home. The organizing rule of thumb – every item needs its own space. So after you’ve sorted out all the items that are no longer necessary in your office, focus on finding a home for every item that will stay. Group like items together – keep office supplies in a desk drawer, make sure all your files are put together in a filing cabinet, and keep any books or reference materials stored together on a shelf. Think critically about where you store items in your office. To prevent a clutter buildup, keep items you need within reach of your workspace. That way you don’t leave frequently used files sitting out because they are stored on the other side of the room.
Schedule upkeep time. If keeping your office clutter free was easy, it already would be done, right? It’s easy for things to go south if you aren’t putting in a little bit of effort to maintain your space. So schedule in time. Make sure at the end of each workday you are returning your items to their assigned home. You can also schedule time to check in every quarter, and do a sweep of your office to see if there are any items that can be thrown away, recycled, or donated.
It’s hard to be productive and efficient when you are surrounded by clutter. Though it may feel intimidating, as soon as you make the time for office organizing and get it done, you’ll see and feel immediate results! If decluttering your office is more than you can handle right now, reach out to this Professional Organizer in NYC and let’s talk about what I can do for you.