If you work in a small office, you know how frustrating having too little storage space can be. Whether you’re an entrepreneur working from home or an employee at a small company, having too much clutter and insufficient storage space can make your job more complicated.
You’ll spend more time looking for supplies than actually doing the work. The good news is that there are ways to declutter and free up space at your workplace, and they don’t all involve moving things around or buying new furniture. This article will walk you through some practical steps to declutter and free up space at your workplace.
Clean Up Digital Clutter
Use a file manager to organize your files. Almost every operating system has a built-in way to sort and manage files, so take the time to learn how it works. This will help you find what you need when you need it and prevent unnecessary clutter from clogging up critical workflows and storage spaces.
Use cloud storage services for data backup and sharing. If you’re working on projects with others who aren’t in the same room as you, having an easy way of sending them files will be invaluable when it comes time to collaborate on something big. Cloud-based services like Google Drive or Dropbox make this easy; just upload your file once and share access whenever someone needs it.
A survey by Kaspersky found that 80% of employees don’t believe they’re responsible for ensuring documents have the appropriate access controls or limits, even if they’ve created these documents.
Make sure everyone knows who has access to what and when they need to revoke access. If you have a project with multiple collaborators, ensure you all know who has access to the files. The last thing you want is for someone else’s careless mistake to cause problems for your business.
Use password managers or security tokens if possible, and don’t use the same password twice. Using third-party services can help keep digital assets safe while still providing easy access when needed by others outside of work hours.
Clear the Desktops and Tabletops
Clean the tops of desks, cabinets, and other surfaces. This is a no-brainer, but it can be easy to overlook. Clear all the items off these surfaces and ensure they’re accessible. Find another place if you have items not currently in use that need to be kept on your desk. Don’t keep things on your desk if you don’t know what they are or how long they’ve been there.
A study published in the Personality and Individual Differences journal shows that people with messy desks are perceived as less conscientious and more neurotic, which may negatively influence how others interact with them and affect their career progression. This is another reason to implement a clean desk policy at work.
Use a Third-Party Remote Storage Management
A third-party remote storage management company can help you save money, reduce stress, and get more space at your workplace. According to data from Storage Cafe, the United States has more than 1.6 billion square feet of storage space that can be rented out.
You can keep your office furniture, equipment, and supplies in a storage facility but still have access to them when needed. This can be a great way to deal with the clutter from having too much stuff in your office. You’ll have more space and won’t need to worry about carting things around when you move or reconfigure your space.
When you use a third-party remote storage management company, they’ll take care of everything. You won’t have to worry about the details. They’ll move your stuff in and out, keep it safe and secure and ensure you have access when needed.
Store Documents Properly
Don’t let your office become a dumping ground for documents, old calendars, and files. That will only lead to more clutter, making the next time you need something even harder. A good way to keep your paperwork in order is by addressing it immediately.
Scanning all those papers into a digital format will save you a lot of time in the long run and help keep things organized. Once digitized, it is also important to organize these documents properly. A survey by Elastic of U.S. office professionals discovered that 54% waste time searching for files in cluttered online filing systems.
A filing cabinet is one of the best ways to store physical documents in your office. If you don’t have room for a filing cabinet, consider getting an extra-large filing box to hold all those papers that need to be filed away.
Get Rid of Old Equipment
You can sell old equipment to a recycling company, donate it to a charity that refurbishes and sells it, or throw it out. Your business should not keep old equipment in the office because of fire hazards.
Too much furniture in your office can take up space and make it harder for people to move around. You might even find some old furniture damaged or broken down after being used over time. If that’s the case, get rid of it so new equipment can be brought in instead.
Get Rid of Old Magazines and Books
To donate your old books, magazines, and papers to charity, contact local charities and schools to ask whether they need these items. If you can’t find an organization that accepts donations of this kind, see if there is a local library or thrift store where you can drop them off.
Many communities offer recycling services for paper materials. If you’re unsure where to dispose of this trash locally, look up your state’s Department of Environmental Protection website for information on how to dispose of recyclable items properly.
Recycling is a great way to do your bit to save the environment because for every ton of paper you recycle, you save 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, and 7000 gallons of water.
Conclusion
Clutter has a negative impact on your working environment. There are ways to organize your files and materials so that you don’t end up with chaos every day when you come to work.
By cleaning up digital clutter, such as old emails or documents, you can create more space on your computer systems and make them run faster too. If all else fails and your office looks like a mess, you can always consider using off-site storage solutions.