An untidy office can give your business an unprofessional appearance; but clutter doesn't only impact the external presentation of your company, it hinders the internal workings as well. Clutter can impede creativity, create stress, and waste your time. Once you invest the time to clear out your clutter, you will see a boost in productivity in return.
Move from Shuffling to a One-Touch System
When you open a bill, read a fax, or finish reviewing a file, where does it go? Maybe you toss it aside, with the intention of filing it away later when you have more time. Soon there's an overflowing stack of documents on your desk. And once you need one of those documents that you know is in there somewhere, you'll waste time shuffling papers looking for the right item.
Instead, implement a one-touch system for your paperwork: once you read or make use of a document, don't just set it aside, set it in its proper place. It could be a file cabinet, the shredder, or a box that collects documents ready for scanning. The less you have to physically handle a piece of documentation, the more time you have for your important work.
Start Your Day Right
When you come home from a day at work and there are still dishes in the sink from breakfast and kids' toys scattered around the house, you probably don't feel like you can relax. The same can be said about walking into your office in the morning. If you are greeted by a mess of scattered files, post-it notes, and office supplies you may not be too excited about kicking off the day.
But a clean workspace can contribute to a calmer, more upbeat state of mind. The benefits are not only what you can see (or not see), but can improve the mood of your entire office. When employees feel they have the right physical space to think clearly, they can dig right into the day, instead of spending time cleaning up yesterday's mess.
Get it Out of Sight
Studies show that clutter has an impact on your brain. The more visual stimuli in your line of sight, the more work your mind has to do to focus. You may be trying to concentrate on a phone call, but your brain is also scanning and responding to all the items it can see. If there's less clutter for your eyes to capture, that leaves more energy for your brain to spend on the task at hand.
One way to eliminate clutter is by storing your rarely-used documentation off-site. With a documentation management system, you can still retrieve your files when you need them, but they won't distract you when they're not required.
Take Action to De-clutter
The benefits of reducing clutter are endless, but the strongest improvement you will see is a rise in productivity. Once you take action to de-clutter your office space—through shredding, implementing a document management system or indexing files—you'll be able to work at your most efficient level.
Move from Shuffling to a One-Touch System
When you open a bill, read a fax, or finish reviewing a file, where does it go? Maybe you toss it aside, with the intention of filing it away later when you have more time. Soon there's an overflowing stack of documents on your desk. And once you need one of those documents that you know is in there somewhere, you'll waste time shuffling papers looking for the right item.
Instead, implement a one-touch system for your paperwork: once you read or make use of a document, don't just set it aside, set it in its proper place. It could be a file cabinet, the shredder, or a box that collects documents ready for scanning. The less you have to physically handle a piece of documentation, the more time you have for your important work.
Start Your Day Right
When you come home from a day at work and there are still dishes in the sink from breakfast and kids' toys scattered around the house, you probably don't feel like you can relax. The same can be said about walking into your office in the morning. If you are greeted by a mess of scattered files, post-it notes, and office supplies you may not be too excited about kicking off the day.
But a clean workspace can contribute to a calmer, more upbeat state of mind. The benefits are not only what you can see (or not see), but can improve the mood of your entire office. When employees feel they have the right physical space to think clearly, they can dig right into the day, instead of spending time cleaning up yesterday's mess.
Get it Out of Sight
Studies show that clutter has an impact on your brain. The more visual stimuli in your line of sight, the more work your mind has to do to focus. You may be trying to concentrate on a phone call, but your brain is also scanning and responding to all the items it can see. If there's less clutter for your eyes to capture, that leaves more energy for your brain to spend on the task at hand.
One way to eliminate clutter is by storing your rarely-used documentation off-site. With a documentation management system, you can still retrieve your files when you need them, but they won't distract you when they're not required.
Take Action to De-clutter
The benefits of reducing clutter are endless, but the strongest improvement you will see is a rise in productivity. Once you take action to de-clutter your office space—through shredding, implementing a document management system or indexing files—you'll be able to work at your most efficient level.
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