When it comes to your workspace, being organised is key to maintaining a productive and professional environment. Recent years have seen the rise of Marie Kondo and the minimalist lifestyle movement. As a result, there is a growing understanding of the mental health benefits of living and working in a clean and uncluttered space.
Following the pandemic, there are an increasing number of companies moving to hybrid or work from home setups. This has resulted in many working professionals working in home offices. This is besides the many freelancers who were already working at home before the outbreak of Covid-19.
Unless you have a spare room or a particularly large house, your home office is likely to be smaller than a traditional office space.
Whilst some people can work in an untidy space, most work best in areas that are clean, tidy and uncluttered. Working from home is still a new concept to many people, so setting some ground rules is key for an efficient setup. Removing excess items can make a huge difference to your productivity and state of mind.
Decluttering will give you more space to work and not feel overwhelmed, improving work efficiency.
Below we’ve included some top tips on maintaining a clutter-free workspace:
Clear rubbish – As a first step, old receipts, bits of scrap paper, food wrappers and so on can go straight in the recycling or the bin. This is something that should be kept on top of on a regular basis.
Get rid of unused items – Start by gathering up the items you don’t use and serve no purpose. These will be the easiest things to get rid of as you’re unlikely to miss them. These items could be excess stationery such as pens, highlighters, notebooks and so on.
Remove items that don’t belong – Try to keep your home office a work-only space. Remove items like your children’s toys, kitchen items and anything else that doesn’t belong in your home office. This not only helps to provide a work/life balance, but it also removes distractions.
Utilise self-storage: One way of decluttering office space – be it at home or in a large commercial office – is by utilising self-storage. Storage spaces come in a variety of sizes, suitable for storing the contents of an entire office – or the contents of a small home office. Contracts are also flexible too, working around your needs.
Start fresh – This tip involves removing everything from your office space.If you live in a small space, this is where storage can become especially useful. Once this is done, only return the items that you need and use on a daily basis. Anything leftover can be put elsewhere in your home or donated.
Avoid “Junk Drawers” – this applies to both traditional office workers and those working from home. If you have a drawer or set of drawers, avoid using them as a dumping ground. Clear them out regularly and try to be ruthless – you don’t need to keep every promotional pen you’re given.
Digitize – In today’s working world, having stacks of paper documents is often unnecessary. Business cards are almost obsolete in a landscape of social media platforms and printouts are becoming a thing of the past. By digitzing documents, you can remove a large amount of paperwork which could be filling up your office space.
Avoid digital clutter – You can clear your space by digitizing as much as possible – but be sure you don’t end up with a crowded and disoragnised computer. Digital clutter can be as much of an issue as physical clutter, so be sure to keep on top of this on a regular basis.
