If you are considering office renovations – which are great for transforming the look and feel of your workspace – but are not quite ready, working to declutter your office might be a great option.

Why Declutter?

Obviously, having a lot of clutter around is distracting but experts warn there are actually many negative effects of clutter that impact your productivity, comfort, and creativity. If you are constantly surrounded by excessive clutter, your brain operates much differently than when your space is organized and clutter-free.

Experts report that a cluttered work area not only increases procrastination, but also “triggers coping and avoidance strategies.” Aside from what experts say about the effects clutter has on our work, if you have customers or potential customers visiting your workplace, you want them to see that you care about how your office looks because first impressions are important.

Tips To Declutter

It might seem overwhelming at first to consider taking on the job of decluttering the office but these tips can help you get started. 

1. Set The Date

Set aside a specific day to dedicate to decluttering your office and stick to it. 

2. Determine What You Don’t Need

The first step to decluttering your office is to honestly look at the things you don’t need. If you have not used or touched for months, chances are you can file it away or even sell it, give it away, or discard it.

3. Digitize

If you have drawers and filing cabinets full of paperwork, files, images, and records that are important to your business, have these items scanned and digitized. Digitizing your paperwork has several advantages:

  • Faster access to information.
  • Extra space.
  • Mobility (being able to access the information from anywhere.

4. A Place For Everything

There is an old saying: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Sometimes clutter is the result of not really having anywhere to put something. If you and/or your colleagues know exactly where things are supposed to go, it will keep the office clean and organized. 

5. Consider Vertical Space

If your office is a small space, implementing vertical space can provide the necessary extra storage to get things out of the way. Sometimes an outside opinion can provide you with design ideas you had not considered.

6. Consider An Assigned Room

Whether for reading, meeting, collaborating, or something else, having a specific room for specific tasks that involve files and papers can remove those files and papers from your office. A room designated for going over designs, for example, allows for a separate area where those designs can be kept, rather than scattered around the office.

A bonus of this idea, is that meetings can take place in this specific area without distracting other office workers.

7. Implement Office Practices

Of course, once you declutter your office, you’ll want to keep it that way. Be sure you have office practices that promote a clean workplace. Examples of these practices can include:

  • A clean desk policy for everyone, including wiping the desktop at the end of the day.
  • No eating at your desk.
  • Ensure there are enough garbage cans throughout the office and empty them daily.
  • Designate an individual (or specific time) for scanning and storing documents.
  • Ensure everyone understands what is expected.

Having a clean, organized workspace is essential for productivity and once you establish the guidelines and policies that will keep your office clutter-free, you’ll likely see a vast improvement in your workplace environment. If you are interested in building extra storage space or developing a more clutter-free design for your office, contact us today to see how we can help.