The more organised your workspace is, the more practical it will be for you and your team to work together efficiently and effectively. Taking steps to make it easier to find the tools that you need to get the job done, while also eliminating clutter, not only speeds things up, but it also reduces your stress levels as well. The following strategies will help you create and maintain a workplace environment that is orderly and calming.

A Place for Everything

Make it simple to find what you need to finish a task by labelling everything, from cabinets and shelves where you store office paper and other indispensable items to those pesky equipment wires that tend to get jumbled up under your desk. Not only will it save your staff some time when they need to find something, but it also lets everyone know where they should return their items to once they are finished using them.

Speaking of those equipment cords, spend some time running them so that they are as out of sight as possible. Take the time to untangle them as you go and use zip ties to take up the slack and keep similar cords together. This will make the surface of your desk look less messy. Just like your other office equipment and supplies, add a label to each cord so that you can be sure the first time that you are unplugging the right piece of equipment when you need to troubleshoot it or otherwise move it.

Automate Repetitive Tasks

Wherever possible, use task management software and apps to automate as many of your recurring tasks as possible. Not only will this free up time, but it will also eliminate the chance that you will get busy working on another project and forget to do the mundane, critical work, such as reordering office supplies or paying the monthly utility bills.

Ditch the Paper and Save Some Trees

If you haven’t already, opt-in for paperless transactions and records wherever possible. Not only will you reduce the number of paper documents that you will need to handle and store, but items that you save in the cloud are also more secure from theft and loss. If you are dealing with an entity that still issues paper receipts and other physical records, make a digital copy of it and store it in the cloud as soon as possible.

Add Casters to Your Desks and Other Office Furniture

Being able to move the furniture in your office space quickly makes collaboration more manageable and effective. Just add a set of wheels to the bottom of the legs of all your sturdy furniture – desks, shelving, wall partitions, screens and more – to make reconfiguring your office layout and seating arrangements a simple, painless task!

Don’t Forget to Organise Individual Drawers and Shelves

When you first begin organising your office space, it’s easy to forget about those smaller, hidden areas such as your drawers and shelving that tend to be out of sight, out of mind. Take the necessary time to clean and group the items in these spaces as well. Use dividers to keep similar things together, and don’t forget to include labels in these spaces, especially if more than one team member will have access to specific drawers and shelves.

Organise on a Budget

Purchasing specialised storage bins and other containers can get expensive very quickly. You can, however, save money by reusing and repurposing other containers that you likely already receive. For example, empty coffee cans can be cleaned and used to hold pens and other office supplies. The wood in pallets can be repurposed and turned into shelving. Even something as simple, and inexpensive, as an empty egg carton, can be used to line your drawers and hold paperclips, push pins, staples and other small items.