Boost Your Productivity By Getting Rid of Clutter

We don't often think about it but clutter in the workspace and in the home can be an unwanted source of stress that keeps you from working at your true capacity. Get rid of the clutter and you will increase your productivity and simplify your life. Here are some effective tips to make the transition from messy to motivated.

Start small. This means don't take on the whole office or your entire home at once. Decide to do one project per day and soon you will have your space working for you instead of against you. So, pick an area that can be organized in less than an hour and devote one hour per day to this task. This article will deal with removing clutter from your office but the principles can be applied to any room at work or at home.

To begin, start with your desk area. Take a box and put everything on your desktop in the box. Sort through it all and determine whether each item should really stay on your desk or should it be filed away or stored elsewhere. Keep only essential items within reach. An inbox, pen or pencils and note paper are probably best kept close by. Receipts or paper records and notes should be filed as generated. Don't let them linger on your desk taking up precious space and creating a mental and physical mess. Keep small items like paper clips and staples in a desk drawer and out of sight. Now your command center is finished and ready to support you through your work day.

Tackle your file cabinets. If your filing system is jumbled mess, you may find it helpful to start from scratch. Take new folders and establish a filing system that will help keep you organized. The easiest method is to file things alphabetically. This will eliminate many unfruitful searches. Do not keep old items in your active files. The general rule is, if the item is more than 12 months old then it can go into a storage box and out of your file cabinet. You want your files to be handy documents within easy reach, so keep your active files current by removing old documents yearly to a storage box and starting a new file for that account or client. An effective filing system that is maintained regularly will keep you on track as you work on your projects.

Rearrange your shelves. Keep books and binders that you refer to often within reach. Put decorative or inspirational items on higher shelves that you can see from anywhere in the room. Put like items together, so that they are easy to find. Use one type of (labeled) storage boxes or baskets in your office, so that the room takes on a unified look. This will help your mind stay on important things, like your life's work, instead of a distracting mishmash of boxes cluttering your shelves.

Hopefully, you can see that getting organized isn't as hard as you once thought it might be. In truth, it just takes a little time every day to set up an effective work space and then it can be maintained by daily filing and a weekly clean up. Take on one area at a time to eventually create an environment that works for you by calming your senses and keeping you heading toward your personal and professional goals.