Mini Tip: Declutter Your Work Space

Have you ever had someone step into your office, only to see them paying more attention to your cluttered desk than what you are saying?  We all understand that getting work done is a job in and of itself. But if you suffer from a cluttered desk, you may be discouraging yourself from working in an efficient manner.

Clutter is known to have a negative effect on your ability to focus and process information. Having a bunch of unnecessary items surrounding your workspace will slow you down and increase your stress levels. Here are a few ways that you can de-clutter your workspace and get your focus back.

Give everything a home?. This is easier than you may think when gazing upon your messy desk. Take everything off your desk and place it in a box. As you need an item, take it out and when you’re finished using it, find its home on your desk. This way, you’re only finding homes for the items that you actually use. In a few days, the box should be empty and your desk will look orderly. If there are any items left in your desk, you most likely don’t need them.

 Put things back where they belong. A desk can be like a magnet, attracting things from everywhere in a home or office. After you use something, whether it’s a coffee mug or a paper cutter, put it back in its home. Your desk will stay organized and you’ll know where to find it the next time you need it.

 Clean up files.? Remove all files from your desktop daily.  This goes for your physical desk as well as your computer’s desktop. Doing this at the end of a workday enables you to stay organized because you’ll find yourself needing to file everything into its appropriate place. If you have leftover files that don’t belong somewhere yet, keep one file on your desktop for active files. This will not only keep your desktop organized, it will free up actual space to create a less cluttered environment that’s more conducive to stress free workdays!

 By following these three mini tips, you will find yourself much more efficient at work.  What other tips do you have to keep your desk free of clutter?