7 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Office

guest post by John Brook

Is your desk out of control?

Maybe you think you are incapable of organizing, but that’s not true.  Everyone can organize their desk, and most people find a less cluttered desk leads to less stress.

1. Take Out The Trash

Some people don’t want a garbage can around their desk because they think it is unsightly.  Well, they think wrong.  There are garbage cans out there that have beautiful scenes on them and that can actually add to the décor of an office.  Having a garbage can near your desk will make it that much easier to get rid of candy wrappers, cellophane wrap and other bits of trash.

2. Don’t Allow Mail To Pile Up

This is one of the prime causes of cluttered office space.  Whether you are working in a home office or on 5th Avenue, you get mail.  Don’t let it pile up.  Make a habit of going through it as soon as it arrives.  Attend to your priority mail right away, and toss out the junk. Everything left over can be filed or put in a magnetic mail tray that attaches right to your desk.

3. Get The Labeler Out

Or just use a marker.  How you do it doesn’t matter.  Just make sure you label your files.  This is going to make you happy as soon as you do it.  You can divide them however you want to.  And it doesn’t matter whether you store your stuff in a file cabinet or in a suspension file that is kept on your desk.  Having specific files for different paperwork cuts down on clutter tremendously.

4. Don’t Gobble Over The Keyboard

Eating at your desk is going to leave a mess.  No matter how clean you are, it happens.  Plus, do you really enjoy your food when you’re stuffing it down in your office?  Life is meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy it.  Go eat in the kitchen.  Take a break and you’ll return to your desk rejuvenated.

5. Invest In A Desk Caddy

They come in all different sizes and they can be cute, inspirational or beautiful.  A desk caddy is the place you will put all your pens and pencils, plus paperclips, notepads and erasers.  This is a quick way to organize and it means you will never have to tear your desk apart looking for something to write with.

6. Get A Bookcase

If you have a lot of training materials or other documents, a bookcase can do wonders when it comes to organizing your space. You can pick up a quality bookcase at a very reasonable price, especially if you look at used ones.  Even if you don’t use all the shelves for documents, you can put other things there like knick-knacks and candy dishes.

7. Box It Up

If you have old tax documents, bank statements or other paperwork that you don’t use but don’t want to throw out, simply box it up and move it offsite.  If you are working in a home office, put the boxes in closets or the attic.  Many people have cluttered office space simply because they have old paperwork they haven’t purged yet.  Box it all up and forget about it.

Working on a UK based office supplies store has allowed John Brook to become the expert on a few quirky subjects, like where to find cheap office chairs.