Clutter, besides taking up valuable space will not only clutter your desk, but also your mind. Below you will find ten tips to de-clutter your office to make your life more productive and less cramped. Having a place for everything is the key to a clutter-free office.
Handle paper now : Deal with paper as it arrives. Don't pile it in a corner and put it off until tomorrow. Every piece of paper can be placed in it's place, where it won't get buried under mountains of junk.
Screen out the Information: Often, the only important information will be someone's name and telephone number, or the fax number, or the address, or the email address. Put them in an address book or rolodex. If you write this info on little pieces of paper, or on envelopes, when you need it you'll end up searching all over.
File: Implement a filing system such as hanging files, or colored folders. Label each folder and place the paper(s) in the correct files and put the file away. File papers you intend on using in a short while, or papers to keep as future reference. Make a date to clean out your files regularly. If you put a paper in a file and don't look at it within the next year - throw it out. Chances are you won't need it. There is an exception to this as you'll need receipts, bills and other tax related papers. Place them all in a separate file, right away to avoid losing them. When tax season comes, your papers will be in one place.
Delegate (where necessary): Learning to deal with paper, means knowing when to hand it over to someone else. Ask yourself if you are the best person to handle this. If not, find out who is and delegate. Then you'll be adding clutter to someone else's desk.
Throw it out: The obvious isn't so obvious. Read the paper and if you don't need it - throw it out! Working on the computer is a great tool to help you learn to live without paper. Don't print up useless papers, otherwise they'll join in your clutter collection.
Recycle: If you feel guilty throwing papers out in the garbage, you could recycle them. Many offices have recycling bins. If not, make piles and drop them off at the recycling plant. If your area doesn't have a recycling center there are many day care centers and preschools that would love to have scrap paper (written on one side only).
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