Decluttering 101: Kick the Clutter Habit

The busier you are the better, right? Well, most of the time, especially in business. But sometimes, the overwhelming bustle of busy season seems to push other important work place habits to the back burner and you might be picking up some new bad habits. The worst culprit for productivity? CLUTTER.

Studies from Princeton University determined that physical clutter in your immediate environment (your desk, for example) actually restricts your ability to focus, process information, and ultimately be productive.  Because we want you, your employees and coworkers to have laser-sharp focus, we’ve come up with 7 easy ways to declutter that desk get back on the road to productivity.

1. Empty everything, start from square one: yes, it seems daunting, but the best way to make sure you aren’t hanging on to any unnecessary clutter is to empty all those drawers and shelves and really look at your stuff.
2. Throw out or give away things you don’t need or use: seems simple enough, but sometimes we have a tendency to hang on to things we just don’t need. If they don’t work or are no longer relevant, throw them away (don’t forget if it’s a confidential document, you will need to shred first)! If it’s something you just don’t use or need, but it’s still in good condition, see how you can repurpose it or give it to someone else who might need it.
3. Create a flow: organize your desk by importance. That is, if you use it often, keep it within close reach.
4. Get organizers: you can find little drawer organizers at the dollar store. Invest in little baskets and bins to help keep the drawers of your desk looking nice and clean.
5. Tame those wires: nothing looks more chaotic than a handful of cables all over the place. You can buy cable management boxes at stores like IKEA.
6. Get creative with storage: don’t have a lot of room? Don’t stress. There are loads of different creative storage solutions that look nice but are also practical.
7. Don’t go overboard with personal items: of course your work space should feel personal, but when you have tons of work documents and supplies that you need access too, sometimes too many picture frames and coffee mugs can really clutter up your space. Keep a few items and take the rest of them home.

So now that you have some tricks for getting that space organized and back to productive, don’t forget that cleaning requires upkeep. Take 10 minutes at the end of everyday to make sure everything is back where it belongs; otherwise you’ll find yourself back in the clutter!