Staying Organized at Work

What are the benefits of an organized office space?

Being organized at work, especially in your office space can bring many benefits to not only your life but can also inspire those around you. Becoming more organized can almost never do harm and can help improve your daily habits in a way that others acknowledge it. Colleagues, students, patients, clients, and customers can all recognize your sense of organization which might encourage them to change some of their habits as well. Here are some of the great benefits that being organized while at work can have on your life:

• It helps you become more productive. If your space is well organized, you have a better chance of getting more tasks done throughout the workday. Feeling organized both physically and mentally can also help improve your communication skills, because you aren’t thinking about multiple things at once.
• It can decrease stress levels. Becoming more organized can relieve some of the stress you may be dealing with when it comes to work-related tasks. Having tools like calendars and planners by your side during the day can help you to visualize what is coming up, which can decrease some stress or anxiety that can emerge from work.
• Saves time. Being organized can shave minutes off the clock when it comes to getting the day started, switching from task to task, or even packing up at the end of the day. De-cluttering your desk and keeping things well organized can save time when looking for important documents and folders. It can also help you to be more punctual for work and meetings since everything has its own place at your desk.
• Other people recognize it. When colleagues, customers, employees, or patients notice good habits like organization, it can increase the level of professionalism in their eyes. By demonstrating that you have all of your ducks in a row both physically and mentally, you might come off as more put together. It’s a great feeling to have others recognize how organized you are, especially if it’s a person of seniority like your boss or a mentor.

What are the best organization products for 2023?

There are many great products currently on the market that can be utilized to improve organization in the office. All of these products can help reduce the amount of unwanted bumps in the road during the workday and can increase overall organization. Items such as desk organizers, file folders, labels, and Post-it Notes® are all examples of products geared towards being organized at work. Some additional products that help with desk and office organization are:

• Binders
• Index cards
• Paper clips
• Staplers
• Whiteboards

What are some tips for staying organized at work?

Office organization ideas and tips are a great way to refresh the mindset of individuals who are looking to get more organized while at work or school. The sooner organization habits start, the more helpful they can become later on in the future. Whether you are an educator, a mentor, or an office worker, setting examples by demonstrating these skills is a great way to make an impact on others in hopes that they follow along. While there is no best way to stay organized in the office, here are some tips to follow that might help:

• Make a list: Having a daily to-do list, even if the tasks are similar each day, can help you to stay organized. The simplicity of crossing or checking things off of a list can reduce stress and causes you to visibly see the progress you’ve made throughout the day and can encourage you to do more.
• Have a calendar/planner: Using a calendar or a planner to plan the days or weeks ahead can form a great habit of writing things down and becoming more accountable. Writing things like meetings, tasks, and events on paper has been proven to reduce the level of forgetfulness people might have. Penciling in tasks in a planner can establish positive habits which can make you more organized.
• Color code things: This tip can be more helpful for students, but color coding can have its advantages for lots of people. Whether you are taking notes in a meeting, writing your daily to-do list, or marking things in your calendar, color coding can help your brain recognize different categories or types of information better. Making this a habit at work can improve overall organization.
• Go through emails as soon as possible: Whether you work from home or in an office, instilling the habit of going through emails first thing can help you become more organized. Clearing out the inbox early on in the day can set you up for success and reduce stress levels as more emails come in.
• Avoid multitasking: Multitasking is a difficult habit to break, but it can cause us to make simple mistakes that we want to avoid as well as increases stress levels. Giving yourself a decent amount of time to focus on one task instead of multiple is a great way to see clearer, reduce stress, and become more organized.
• Minimize distractions: There could be many distractions at work from technology and potentially the people around you. While collaboration is important, try to minimize anything that serves as a distraction from the task at hand. Keeping your desk as a “work only zone” can be very beneficial to us when it comes to distractions. Try utilizing the break room or a common area to have conversations with colleagues instead of having them at your workspaces.
• Keep your space clean: This tip can be very important. Keeping your area clean and tidy is a tremendous practice for staying organized. If your space is cluttered, there is a good chance your mind will be as well. Take the time whether it’s at the beginning or the end of the day to clean up and put things like office supplies away. This way, you can reduce the possibility of things piling up on your desk and make a habit out of tidying up more frequently.
• Take breaks: Stepping away from the computer one or two times each day can actually motivate you to be more productive. Completely switching gears on your lunch break and focusing on something else can motivate you even more.

How can I encourage employees to stay organized at work?

Encouraging employees to keep their space organized at work doesn’t have to be difficult or too daunting of a task. Occasionally reminding them of the important benefits it can have on productivity, stress levels, and motivation can help boost organization within the office. Providing them with proper organizational supplies and ideas can also help, as well as tips and tricks from time to time.

Some additional ways to encourage your employees to expand their office organizing habits is to provide evidence though case studies and research that shows the benefits of being organized has at work. Research studies can be very interesting, so finding a few that could appeal to your employees might help convince them to become more organized. Your company’s HR representatives could give a presentation or provide more information on this topic. Implementing more organizational practices as a leader can benefit your employees in a great way.

How does organization impact productivity levels?

Increasing your productivity levels is a great thing to strive for while at work and throughout your career. Getting to and remaining in the productive mindset can be tricky, but with proper organization tactics it doesn’t have to be. Keeping a clean and tidy space can impact your productivity, as well as getting into the right headspace before your workday even starts. Whether you work from home or commute into the office, doing something for yourself before sitting down to work can help your productivity levels reach new heights. Exercising, eating a balanced breakfast, meditating, or grabbing a coffee prior to starting your workday can help get you feeling motivated to get things done.

Organized Office Ideas

There are many helpful things to remember when it comes to staying organized at work. The benefits it has, the products to use as well as tips to get into the habit of doing can all add up to positively impacting productivity and motivation during the workday. Finding a routine that works well for you and sticking to it is a great way to get into a productive mindset, which can lead to great strides for the future. So what are you waiting for? Get organized today!