Chuck the Junk – Simple Ways to Stay Organized at Work

Organization is about keeping order in your life. There are many benefits to being organized; efficiency, the ability to track progress, better management skills and reduced stress. A well-organized office creates a more relaxed working environment, as opposed to a cluttered or disorganized office where you are constantly searching for items or sidestepping around piles of papers.

Chucking the junk is instantly gratifying. The simplest approach is to sort your accumulations into three categories: toss, store and action items. If something hasn’t been used within a year, it is time to let it go. If you have completed a project and will not need to use it today, file it away. If it is something that needs to be addressed, place it in a to-do pile.

For sustainable organization, a structured method is needed for tackling that to-do pile. Can’t complete that large stack of paperwork by the end of today? Prioritize what needs to be taken care of first, and separate the pile into more manageable stacks. Once a task has been completed, file it away. Now that your desk is clear, keep it that way by dealing with every piece of paper, immediately, that comes across your desk. Toss it, store it, or put it into the to-do pile.

Preserve the stickies: Use technology to your advantage by securely saving phone numbers, passwords and often-used data in your phone or computer. Use pop-up reminders to keep track of meetings and deadlines. There are many online organizers available; once you are familiar with how they work they can be very helpful.

With an established system, your office should run like a well-oiled machine. Organizational skills establish a sense of trust and professionalism in the workplace. A well-organized manager projects an image of reliability and control. This helps to more easily win the trust of clients and associates.