A well-organized and clean office space does more than just make a good first impression; it’s also what helps boost efficiency. After all, the easier it is to find stuff, the more productive people are likely to be, right? But if you regularly push “get office organized” down on your list of priorities, take comfort in knowing there are some simple hacks you can take advantage of to keep your office space organized and clean.
Color Code Your Files
Even in today’s high-tech world, color-coding is still a highly effective way to organize your office space! All you have to do is assign one color to certain types of files or documents – e.g., red for invoices, blue for purchase orders, green for financial statements, etc. When color-coding, just remember to:
• Identify all the types of files and documents you’ll need to organize
• Gather the materials you’ll need to color code – e.g., colored folders, colored sticky tape, colored labels
• Create a reference sheet that lists what each color is for to make it easy for everyone in your office to get on the same page with your color-coding system
You can assign the same colors to your digital files as well with programs like Folder Marker Free and FileMarker.NET Free. This can also come in handy if you keep both hard copies and digital copies of your various office documents.
Digitize Your Office Files
A great way to get your office organized is to transfer your paper files to a digital format. Not only will this make it easier to quickly find what you need, but it will also give you more free space in your office! When digitizing your files, be sure to:
• Use an efficient and reliable scanning machine
• Determine who will be able to access your digitized files and who will be able to make updates and adjustments
• Consider cloud storage options if you have a lot of files that will need to be stored so you won’t take up too much hard drive space
• Create a map that can be used for reference by staff members who will need to know how your digital files are grouped and stored
Do an Annual ‘Office Purge’
Clutter often results from simply putting aside stuff and forgetting about it when it’s no longer needed. With your files, for example, establish an appropriate “throwaway date” when it’s safe to discard them. Do the same thing with office furniture that’s beyond repair or clearly outdated.
Use Your Wall Space
File cabinets are great, but they can quickly start to take up too much physical space in your office. One solution is to mount file holders right on your walls. Go a step further with your organization efforts and label them, color-code them, and place ones the entire office will use in a common area where everybody can access them.
Prioritize and Separate
Finally, remember to prioritize your files by order of importance and separate your current projects and your completed work. Efficient ways to do both of these things in your office space include:
• Doing a survey of your staff to find out what files they consider most important and consistently useful
• Clearly indicate importance with your physical or digital filing system – e.g., “crucial files” or “current invoices”
• Add the categories “completed” and “in progress” to your categorization system to make it easier for your staff to put files and documents in the right grouping
For times when your office is disorganized because of issues with its layout, turn to the team at Office Innovations for a helping hand. With our reconfiguration services, for instance, your office furniture can be rearranged in a way that’s more appropriate for how you use your spaces today. And if you decide to get organized by purchasing some new furniture products for your office, we can take care of delivery and assembly for you!
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you organize, update, transform, or declutter your office space.