New Year, New Start

Make organising your office your New Year’s resolution

You’ve said goodbye to the excess of festive food indulgence, maxed out the credit card and caught up with the whole of your extended family (phew!). Now you’ve packed the decorations back into the loft and recycled the wrapping paper and Christmas tree, it’s time to come back to work refreshed and say hello to a new year full of clutter-free office working.

If you’re searching for a New Years’ Resolution for 2018, why not look at getting organised and having a serious clear out? It’s a fact that a well organised desk promotes a clear mind and can boost your productivity! It will also give you a kick start in getting ready for the looming GDPR which comes into force in May this year.

The main question is, where do you start? Here are some proven tips and tricks…

Sort

Set some time aside to classify your office papers into the following

1. Keep
2. Shred
3. Bin
4. File

Having an in and out tray, along with time allocated for regular filing each week will ensure you keep on top of it. Anything you don’t need any more containing confidential data must be shredded… If in doubt, shred!
Why not get a shredding console for the office?  Not only will it ensure you stretch your legs, it’ll ensure everything that is paper is shredded – a good habit to get into.

Store

Attempt to give every object in your office its set place. From staplers to notebooks, paperclips to journals, every item needs a home. Ensuring you know exactly where everything is located will mean you don’t waste valuable time searching for it.

Tidy

Organise shelves, put objects not required all the time into drawers, go through cabinets, scan and save documents, shred the paper, tidy cables away using clips and organise any plugs. Remove any old calendars, post it notes, photos or articles from your pin board that are out of date. It will help you to focus on your PC if you don’t have too many outdated distractions fighting for your attention.

Electronic Files

Don’t forget your PC! De-cluttering should not just be confined to your physical environment. Ensuring that your emails, document folders and online storage are up-to-date and clutter free is also an essential part of a good office clear out. Deleting any unused items will free up essential drive space.

New year, new routines

Set aside enough time at the end of each day to clear your desktop. Any unfinished tasks can be stored away in drawers for the next working day. Not only will the cleaners thank you for it, leaving documents on show for anyone to leaf through could present a potential data breach too.

Get in touch and see how we can help you…