Organize Your Office
for Maximum Efficiency

But, there is hope and if you want to work efficiently and enjoy your work space, it's important to organize your office. Here are some things to consider:

• Physical clutter slows down your work, since you don't have what you need at your fingertips
• Mental clutter makes you less motivated and less efficient
• Learn to purge and sort paperwork, and keep unnecessary items off your desk
• Keep a calendar and planner to stay on track
• Keep a dated notebook of important ideas, events, and phone calls
• Clearly label reference materials and store them out of the way

Most of us spend lots of time at our workplaces, and contrary to what you might think, the environment that we work in is very important to our productivity. The way your space is organized (or not organized) can have a critical impact on your mood. You want to feel good and energized while you're working, so that you have the stamina and motivation to complete the tasks that you need to finish.

How you organize your office is not only important for your mood and motivation, but it makes a big difference in your ability to quickly find what you need in order to perform vital tasks. Organizing your stuff for easy access and an uncluttered appearance is important to your level of efficiency.

There are some simple steps you can take to organize your office more efficiently. If you have a small office, this is even more important, since a small space can quickly become cluttered and overwhelming. If you share your workspace with other co-workers, the problem may be even more pronounced. Let's get started by examining, step-by-step, some of the ways that you can combat office clutter:

Paperwork – for most of us, paperwork in the office is the bane of our existence. It's important to purge, sort, and organize your paperwork. Recycle papers that you don't need immediately, so they won't get mixed up with things you really do need. Also, create hanging files that are clearly categorized either by type or date. Finally, create files for pending, miscellaneous, or "to-be-filed" items to keep them out of circulation. Keep unnecessary papers off your desktop.

Organizing Paperwork provides even more great tips to help you tame the paperwork nightmare.

Calendars – Keeping a calendar is crucial when you want to organize your office. You can do this electronically, or simply write your appointments and events into a planner type notebook. Write down important daily tasks and deadlines, and peruse your calendar each morning to more effectively plan your day.

Check out the following links for the best tips on choosing paper and electronic organizers: Personal Organizers and Electronic Organizers.

Reference materials – Keep a notebook on your desk to jot down important information and ideas. Make sure to date each day's entries so you don't forget about them later on down the road. It's also a good idea to keep a separate notebook for phone conversations. Keep a folder for reference materials, and get rid of what you don't need immediately. If you have lots of reference materials, keep separate folders for different projects or categories.

Staying organized at work is as important as staying organized in other aspects of our lives. Disorganization leads to a mental muddle that makes it doubly difficult to get work done. On the one hand, you'll be slowed down because you can't find what you need. On the other hand, your lack of mental focus will make you less efficient. You'll enjoy a much more pleasant working environment if you take these simple steps to get control of your space and organize your office.