10 Tips to Transform your Office into an Efficient Workspace

The New Year is here! 2019 close out is over. We had papers piled up. Sticky notes were everywhere. Finished projects we hadn’t had time to file. The truth is, not making the time to get organized costs us MORE time when trying to get things done. Let’s start 2020 fresh and organized!  These 10 tips will help you transform your office into an efficient workspace.

1. Purge Your Office. De-clutter, empty, shred – get rid of everything you don’t need or want. If something doesn’t work, send it out for repair or toss it. If you pick something up, can’t remember the last time you used it and can’t imagine using it in the future, out it goes. This goes for furniture, equipment, supplies, knick-knacks etc.
2. Gather & Redistribute. Gather up every item that isn’t where it belongs and put it where it does.
3. Create “Activity Centers” or “Work Areas”. Put everything you need to complete an activity in one area, especially if you do an activity regularly. You will avoid wasting time looking for and assembling what you need. For example, packing and shipping supplies and tools should all be in one area. Create a shelf or drawer for items that are necessary when you travel.
4. Scan it, Shred it, or File it – A Folder For Everything. Don’t use your desktop as your inbox. Important papers get scanned and filed. Have a file for all closed projects and all working projects. Receipts get scanned and shredded.
5. File Name Protocol. Use the same protocol for naming all paper and digital files. The whole company should follow the same protocol. This way anyone can find anything in case someone is absent. Files are easy to search for and easy to find. 
6. Archive Old Files. If you haven’t used computer files or emails in the past year, slot them in an archive file. You’ll still have them, but you won’t have to wade through them every time you search for a working file.  Then, dedicate a time, say, after 3 years, of deleting archived files as well.
7. Wrap Computer & Phone Cords. An inexpensive roll of Velcro can help clean up your cabling mess. Label each cord as you wrap it so it is easier to unplug and move things as needed. 
8. Use Cork Boards to Keep Top of Mind Items in Front of You. Checklists, post-its and reminders can take over our monitors, desks, walls, file cabinets. Put them all on a cork board until you complete the task or it becomes an ingrained habit. Untack and toss when it’s complete. 
9. Do Weekly Maintenance & Clean Up. At the end of each workweek, make time to put things used during the week back in their places. Shred or file paper stacks. If you don’t let clutter accumulate too long, it’s easier to stay organized.
10. Use Your Browser Bookmark Bar Like a File Cabinet. Save favorite websites and label them under “Marketing”, “Admin”, “Personal”, “Accounting”, etc. Save time accessing the websites you use often by utilizing your bookmarks bar in your browser.

Here’s to an organized and Happy New Year!! Give Office Products Alliance a call for all your office products and office furniture needs to get and stay organized! 816.777.2810