
When keeping up with work responsibilities, keeping your workspace tidy can feel like the last thing on your list of priorities, but I urge you to reconsider. Our physical environment has an immediate impact on our inner environment.
The month of January provides a great opportunity to set the precedent for the eleven months following. Here are some basic tips to getting that worktop in order so that you can make the most efficient use of your physical and mental space.
- On an individual level, make sure you have a designated workspace (if space permits). Collect or gather a few items that make it inviting.
- Take the time to think about which elements of your workspace need to be reorganized. It can help to draw out a plan or visual for how you would like your office to look. Do you need to use more dividers, files, or cabinets? Or do you need to cut them down and digitize some of your paper documents? Think about setting up a filing system that will be intuitive to you so that you can stick to it in the long run.
- When sorting through documents it can be helpful to first assign them to different categories like: keep, trash, belongs elsewhere. Afterwards you can sort through the documents you’ve kept and file them accordingly instead of letting them pass through your hands multiple times.
- For teams and organisations, having a regular clean up “hour” can help keep the office clean and as a result, more effective in delivering results. Turn it into a day to look forward to by organizing a pot-luck and encouraging social interaction with colleagues.
- Work together with IT in order to support employees with the digitization of information.
- Create a buddy system, so that you can hold each other accountable.
Now, of course, these are some of the hands-on ways of clearing up your workspace, but I couldn’t leave out the small habits that can help you gain more clarity on a day-to-day basis.
- Take mini breaks throughout the day.
- Before you close up shop for the day, reflect. Capture what went well, what did not, new insights you gained and what you plan to do differently moving forward.
- Then take a few minutes to think about what you plan to do the next day. Especially when feeling overwhelmed by an accumulation of tasks, worries, or other open-ended thoughts, take the time to write them down on paper – a bit like free-writing. Once you’ve transferred your thoughts onto paper it’ll be easier to dissect and prioritize.
- Lastly, get to know yourself. We’re all different, so feel free to experiment with different ways of organization. For example, I recently bought myself a large whiteboard which helps me make organization easier and more enjoyable.
Consistent organisation can be tricky, but finding a few habits that work for you, commitment, and regular moments of reflection can make all the difference.