Week 11- Office and Paperwork

This week we are going to sort and clear the piles of paper and clutter from your home office. If you don’t have an office, clear the clutter from the spot where you keep your receipts, slips and paperwork.

 

Step 1: Sort 

• Paperwork – Give yourself lot's of time to go through ALL of your paperwork.  Each piece of paper will be placed into a pile (shred, file, trash). You are NOT organising now – Just sorting.

• Everything Else –  Sort through your stationery, decor, books, files etc.

• Put things that don't belong in the office back in their original room.

• Make piles for things (Keep, Recycle, Rubbish)

• It's important to have a pile for shredding, but don't shred yet. You can do this later on.

 

 

Step 2: Clean

• Clean your desk and shelving first. Wipe down and dust.

• Dust your curtains if any and wipe the walls.

• Clean out your rubbish bin and wipe down your office chair

• Vacuum the room and wipe down your lights / lamps.

• Clean your electronics. (keyboard, mousepad & computer screen) according to instructions. Use screen wipes for this.

 

 

Step 3: Organise 

Once you've got only the items you want to keep, you can organise.

• Set up your Filing System – Organise all of your paperwork into a filing system, like the Portable Filing Case.

• Re-shuffle your old system if needed or start fresh! Use categories and divisions. These are important.

• If you have sorted right, you should have half the paper you started with. Try going paperless if you can. Cancel magazine subscriptions, ask your bank to email you statements instead of mailing.

• You can also set up a Mail Centre if you get a lot of mail. Have a box or basket for this.

• Books & magazines: organise your books & magazines so you can have them accessible at all times. If you can't see them, you'll forget about them. Perhaps a wall-mounted magazine holder would be useful to free up space too.

• Everything else: create categories for everything else in your office, then label & organise into containers, drawers & baskets.

• E.g.: Drawers for your stationery should be divided with containers. If you have a drawer for your electronics, make sure all cables are labeled. You can use our neat cable labels for this or any label you have on hand.

 

TO REMEMBER, WHEN GOING THROUGH YOUR PILES OF PAPER, ASK YOURSELF…

• Is this paper necessary to keep? (Taxes, Statements etc)

• Will I actually use it in the future?

• Do I have a place for it?

If you answered no, THROW IT AWAY! (Shred if needed).

Most importantly, remember to Recycle! If you have a compost heap, you can add your paper to this! Just make sure none of it is coated in anything.

 

WELL DONE! See you next week for our last in the challenge!

 

 

Related Articles:

Cable Organisation in 8 Easy Steps

Cleaning your Tech

Top Tips to Get your Desk Organised

Separating Home and Work when Remote Working

Avoid Online Distractions & Focus on Work

10 Best Mobile Apps for Productivity

10 Easy Steps to Organised Paperwork

6 Productivity Tips for your Office

10 Top Tips for an Organised Office Life

 

 

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