An organized office table is seen as a reflection of how neat and orderly an employee is. While most employees see to it that their office spaces are in such state, some find this very difficult to achieve.
The problem starts when there’s a pile of unsorted documents in our drawer – among paperclips, rubber bands, pen covers and highlighters, among other knick knacks – and we do nothing about it. Every day we keep putting off the task of de-cluttering our office table until the whole area becomes a mess with all the accumulated stuff. Then we begin having trouble finding things, get frustrated and upset, then ask ourselves how such a small space can cause so much inconvenience. Sounds familiar? Before this adds up to your office stress, follow these five simple steps for a clutter-free table:
- Sort
You might not know it but this is the key element in organizing everything – from documents to pens to paperclips. Same things must be grouped together according to its function. This will make your table organized and this will enable you to find things easily. You can make use of envelopes and jars to sort paper documents and paraphernalia. Segregate what needs to be kept and what needs to be thrown away. When you sort from the very beginning, things will be in their respective places – literally and figuratively.
- Document
A problem you may encounter in sorting paper documents is that you may be unsure whether or not you will still need a particular document. To ease you of the burden of fear that you might have thrown away something that is important, document it. Your scanner and camera phone can come in handy with this dilemma.
Take a clear photo of the documents of the tiniest importance before shredding or throwing away. This method of organizing is easy and paperless! In this manner, you can always save a back-up of the photo and refer to it when the need arises. Make sure you still sort the soft copies in your computer though. Otherwise, your desktop will be cluttered and you will again spend time sorting it.
- Dispose
Once you feel comfortable disposing the papers, be sure to do it properly. If it contains confidential or personal information, off to the shredder it goes. If the other side of the paper is still useable, put it in the scratch paper compartment. Who knows, you might take interest in doing paper maches or origamis in the future. With this, not only have you taken steps in de-cluttering your office table but you have also helped Singapore in its campaign for recycling for a greener environment.
- Label
Once you have gone through disposal, all that is left in your table are the essential items you must keep. Label these things. These labels and tags will serve as a guide and will make your office table become organized. Cleaning up a mess can be fun and enjoyable. While you’re at it, be at your most creative! Use vibrant colors and showcase your penmanship if you have a good one. All your pens are just at the tip of your fingertips!
- Maintain
Let’s face it. You don’t live in a perfect world where you are programmed to put everything in order. Office employees are just not built like that. True enough, there will be busy days wherein you will not be able to put things in their right places. If this happens, do not be hard on yourself as this is perfectly normal.
However, there must be a sense of awareness of the chaos in your office table. You alone are accountable for the mess, thus you are fully responsible of bringing back your office space to its original organized state. Set aside a couple of minutes on a specific day of the week as your maintenance schedule. For instance, check the status of your office table every last day of the week.
Ensure that all papers and items are in proper order. A 15-minute check every week is better than an hour or two of organizing every month. Coming to the office with a clean and clear table will be a good way to welcome another work week. Having a clutter-free table will indeed make you organize your thoughts productively in the office!
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