If your workspace is disorganized, you could be losing productivity. These eight tips can help you keep it all together and get the most out of each hour of the day. Credit: Thinkstock Do you spend more time looking for documents, supplies, emails or your mobile phone charger than you do working? If so, you’re losing valuable productivity. However, the good news is getting back on track requires only a little planning, commitment and consistency. These eight office organization tips culled from the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and Simplify Me Now can help you transform your workspace from stressful to serene, and help boost your productivity by making it easy to find files, documents, supplies, and keep up with ongoing projects and deadlines. [ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity]1. Clean Out Your WorkspaceImage by ThinkstockLet’s face it. If you’re reading this, you’re probably struggling to control the chaos that is your workspace. According to NAPO, a good first step is to get rid of the unnecessary stuff taking up your valuable office space. Go through those stacks of papers and get rid of duplicates. Clean out your desk drawers and filing cabinets and throw out (or recycle) anything you haven’t used in six months. When you’re left with only necessary items and have removed excess clutter, you can more easily organize what’s left.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]2. Rearrange Your OfficeImage by ThinkstockThe next step is to evaluate the furniture layout in your newly purged space based on how you work. If you have to get up every time you need to throw something away or replace a file, your desktop and your floor can easily become your trash can/file storage, NAPO says. Arrange furniture, files, and trash receptacles so that they’re easy and quick to access.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]3. Get Your Desktop OrganizedImage by ThinkstockKeep only supplies and gadgets you need on a daily basis on your desktop. Patty Kreamer, a professional organizer, says to think of it like your circles of friends. “Items you use most should be within reach – your friends.The items you use less often should be near, but you should have to get up to access them — your acquaintances. The items you rarely useshould be out of your office altogether — strangers,” Kreamer says.Simplify Me Now suggests an inbox is for items you haven’t reviewed, an in-process box for items you’re working on, and a filing system or trash receptacles for the rest.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]4. Design a Personalized Filing SystemImage by ThinkstockThere’s no right or wrong when it comes to developing a filing system, as long as it matches the way you work and is easily maintained. You can file alphabetically, by project, by client or some other method.Use the same method for electronic document filing as you do for paper. Regularly sort, file and purge electronic and hard copy documents to keep clutter from piling up.Keep the most recent documents at the front of the file for ready access, and make sure to check your company’s records-retention policy to ensure you’re not throwing out vital records.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]5. Master Time ManagementImage by ThinkstockClear at least an hour a day to focus on projects and action items. Kreamer suggests tracking your time for a week to get a better sense of how long certain tasks take before you begin scheduling this way.Breaking up large projects into smaller steps and scheduling time in the day for each can make short work of large assignments.The majority of people who do plan, plan only for meetings and appointments –not for the work to be done in between. “They create a to-do list and never plan to do it. Thus, the to-do list becomes an avoidance list,” Kreamer says.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]6. Schedule Your CommunicationsImage by ThinkstockSchedule time on your to-do list each day to deal with emails and return phone calls. NAPO suggests once in the morning and once each afternoon for greater efficiency.“Set a timer for 10- or 15-minute increments and do little sprints to get things done. The most effective time is 15 minutes before you have to walk out the door for a meeting or appointment,” Kreamer says.Write an agenda for each call so you don’t forget important points, and, if you have to leave a message, outline the response you need so others can get you the information or action you need to complete your task.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]7. Organize Yourself DigitallyImage by ThinkstockBeing electronically organized is as important as being physically organized. Create folders and subfolders in your inbox for each client and project, so when new emails arrive, you can quickly act on it.“Don’t allow things to stay in your Inbox unless they require action,” Kreamer says. “Either delete it, forward it or file it.”Finally, minimize distractions. “Turn off email notifications: the sound, envelope icon in the notification area, the mouse cursor change and especially the ‘New Email’ Desktop Alert that fades in and out,” she says. “Since you’ve set up specific times to check and respond to email, you won’t need them.”[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ]8. Ritualize Your Work DayImage by ThinkstockOrganization isn’t a one-and-done proposition; you must keep up with the influx of documents, files, projects and communications. When you’re done working for the day, devote about 15 minutes to update your to-do list, file completed projects and replace in-progress items in their proper place. That makes for a clean, fresh, organized start when you arrive at work the next morning.[ For more detailed advice, see 8 Tips to Organize Your Office (and Yourself) for Better Productivity ] Related content brandpost Fireside Chat between Tata Communications and Tata Realty: 5 ways how Technology bridges the CX perception gap By Tata Communications Sep 24, 2023 9 mins Emerging Technology feature Mastercard preps for the post-quantum cybersecurity threat A cryptographically relevant quantum computer will put everyday online transactions at risk. Mastercard is preparing for such an eventuality — today. 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