Conquer Office Mess And Get Productive! Part 1 - Declutter Your Space

Spending more time searching for things than actually working is no way to succeed in business. With phones ringing, emails to answer and meetings to attend, we're constantly hearing that if the office was tidier, employees would be more productive and happier. But for most business owners, it seems that there simply isn't enough time during the working day to attempt a deep clean. We believe the answer is simple;

Do your business a favour and SET ASIDE TIME TO CLEAN. The time saved and the increase in productivity will be more than worth it.

You and your employees spend a good chunk of the day in the office, and having a lot of clutter around can make everyone feel stressed out. Physical clutter overloads the senses, resulting in poor time management and increased stress.

Where To Start

Before actually deep cleaning an office, you first have to declutter. Sounds easy right? The reason people have clutter in the first place is because it can be hard to throw things out! So, give your business the afternoon off to declutter! Here's a few tips to get you started:

Be brutal! There's no reason to keep anything in your work space other than the things you're working on. Current projects need to be kept where they are easily accessible. Avoid having confusing piles on your desk, and organise everything into clearly labelled folders. Start from scratch and take everything off your desk, only putting it back if it's necessary. Ask yourself the following questions:

*    When was the last time I used this?
*    Does this have a purpose, or had I forgotten it was even there?
*    When am I likely to use this again?

BE RUTHLESS!

Now put everything that's not going back on the desk in a place it can call home. The things you use frequently need to be close at hand (ideally in the top right hand drawer of the desk) and everything else... well that's up to you, but make sure it goes somewhere where you and everyone else will know where to find it. Get busy labeling those drawers, files and cabinets. It's so worth it.
 
Tip: If things don't have a home, your desk will become a home for everything.

Now for the rest of the office. Take photos of the areas that make you feel the most depressed. Get a friend or co-worker to look at them objectively. How do those pictures make you feel? Now focus on what is clutter, and what are office essentials. The goal is to create a space that makes you feel the opposite of how those photos make you feel. Once again be ruthless, but try to create a "happy space" that will allow you to enjoy your working environment. If a special pen, photo or mouse mat makes you feel good, it's not clutter...provided it has a home.

When you're all done and dusted, take some more pictures and compare the before and after results. How great does that make you feel?

Once you've successfully decluttered then you can really get down to business and do a deep clean. However, if all this is bringing you out in a cold sweat, then perhaps you should think about hiring the professionals to give you a hand.

As specialist commercial cleaners we have the equipment and the know how to provide the professional cleaning services your business deserves. We're the experts in office cleaning, and it's our job to help your business retain the professional image you work hard to achieve. Our agents work hard to deliver a professional service for all our clients right across the Gold Coast.

The choice is simple. Do you want to spend the next 6 months working in a cluttered office, or are you ready to set aside the time to clear? Think of what your business could potentially achieve!