Organizing Your Office So it Works For You

To work well in your office space, the first thing to look for is how well you work with your environment. When you enjoy spending time in your workspace, you have a greater chance of accomplishing tasks successfully. But if your workspace doesn’t coincide with your preference, then you feel disturbed and can’t perform to your full potential.

Naturally, there is only so much that you can change in your work environment. It is a provided space you are required to respect. But there are ways you can make your workspace perfect for you and the best way is to organize it.

Everyone has a different method of how they would organize their belongings. And organizing your individual workspace creates a feeling of belonging and control over your area. When you organize your workspace, you control your environment to your preference. So here are a few ideas you can apply to your office space to make for a better, friendlier working environment.

Calendars and Agendas

A workspace is an area where you would typically spend most of your time. So what better place to put a calendar than here! With a calendar always in front of you, you’ll be able to better organize your schedule beforehand. Any plans or meetings you have to attend can all go up on your calendar. And you’ll find there is room enough in your day for time to yourself. Prepare so you control your time and it doesn't control you.

Your work area is also a wonderful place to store an agenda or journal if seeing your month planned out day by day isn’t enough. By creating an agenda for yourself, you can conceive a more direct and detailed plan for your day to go smoothly.

Color Coding your Belongings

This may not be the perfect idea for everyone, but color-coding your tasks can make for a seriously neat desktop. There are many ways in which you can color code your property and prioritize your tasks. Here are a few ways color coding can help you.

Sticky Notes

Sometimes sticky notes are all you need to keep yourself up to date and reminded of everything that needs to get done. Blue sticky notes can be work deadlines. Red sticky notes can be urgent messages that need tending to immediately. And green notes can be your personal reminders for the day.

 Post small reminders, tips and messages such as these over your notice board or desktop. This helps you remember everything that needs to be done in your busy life, one by one, so you can take them down and discard them when complete.

Filing

When going through files, it can be difficult finding the right one quickly, simply because there are so many to go through! One way to make this easier is by color coding all your files.

 Depending on what type of work you have, you will have different files for the specifics. One example could be a customer service provider. All complaints could go inside a red folder. All frequent inquiries and callers could go inside of a blue one. Place potential customers inside of a green folder. And customers who incline they may be leaving soon could go in a yellow one.

 It is organization such as this where color coding is a good idea.

Sectioning your Workspace

If the idea is still unclear, sectioning your area means making designated spaces and giving them a specific purpose.

 Your desktop could be your primary working area where you accomplish all your tasks. Dedicate the space behind or beside you to a shelf or containers holding all of your stationery. A cabinet to your right could be for all your files and papers.

 When you think of compartmentalizing your area, figure out what works best for you. If you are left-handed, then have your writing tools to the left for easier gained access. If printing is something you do often, then save space behind or beside your desktop for a printer. Think about things such these to help you segment your territory.

Use Containers and Bins

Everything looks a lot better when it has a place to go. If you feel as if you lack the necessary amount of storage space, then it is never too late to get some more. Collect all your straggling possessions and find them the right place to call home.

Get a container or cup for all your pens and pencils. Make yourself a bin or mini-shelf for your stationary needs such as a stapler, notes, rulers and more. You can even label whatever you wish to make navigating through your area easier for yourself.

Find a way to make sure there are no excess items left on top of your work surface.

Decluttering your Area

Never have a clutter-filled workspace. Things just won’t get done. A great starting point to organizing your area is by removing all excess belongings you don’t need while you work. Clear off your desk, putting aside all papers. Have nothing but a clean desk to start with and work from there. All your drawers and cabinets should be empty, surfaces cleared and containers bare.

After doing so, figure out what you need and what you don’t. In a workspace, one extra of each item is enough, but more than one and you have too much. Keep only what you need and dispose of the rest. After doing so, find all your items a home in your new empty space. Just keep in mind that you want the surface of your work area to be absolutely clean.

A clean and tidy working space is a friendly space and increases your productivity. The time you spent organizing will be worth the effort and pay for itself in time saved and profits earned.