You’re sitting at your desk ready to conquer your workload and in your head you have high hopes to get it all done. You are sitting there staring, not sure where to start because your desk is littered with a variety of things; some work related, others not so much. How much time to you waste everyday looking for things or simply walking around gathering supplies? Inspiration levels go down a bit and not much gets done. Inspiring yourself at work may be as simple as organizing your work space. A strategically organized work space saves time and money, reduces stress and increases peace of mind and productivity. Here are few tips to get the job done.
Evaluate what you actually need to get the task done efficiently. This might be easier doing by removing everything and starting over. Put items back on your desk as you need them, keeping only those items on your desk that you need easy access to, otherwise store in drawers, this will eliminate any excess clutter.
Consider Monday through Friday file folders, having only the day on hand on your desk to work on for that day only. Filing the other days out of sight will eliminate distractions of looking ahead and added stress.
“Inspiring Yourself at Work may be as Simple as Organizing Your Work Space”
Don’t overstock on inventory, wasted storage space costs money and drains efficiency, only carry enough to get you through a week or two. Twice a month you can take time out to reevaluate what you’ve used and what wasn’t necessary and restock only those items that you need.
Bring in some personal items to inspire you throughout the workday. Some examples of this may be some family & friends photos, books, gifts or simply items that just inspire you for personal reasons. If you’re able to, the ideal locations for books and some of your pictures would be on a wall or shelving unit so you can still maximize your desk space.
Avoid the post-it chaos. It’s easier to find an idea or reminder in one single place than searching for that post-in note among many. Have a notebook on hand at your desk to keep a running timeline of your day, weeks, month, year. Date each notebook and file on your shelf for future reference.
Finally take the last 10-15 minutes of your work day to reboot and clear your work space of any paperwork and completed projects. Preparing yourself for the next day by creating an organized clean and simple area to maximize your time and productivity will benefit you in the morning.
