“Stuff” is the theft of productivity and one of the biggest thieves is a clutter. So how do you reduce clutter?
Rule A No. 1: Don’t let it build up in the first place. To prevent this from happening, you could always rent a dumpster so you can get rid of unwanted paperwork/items.
Easier said than done, like all of the best advice, but here are some tips that should help…from the beginning to the end of the decluttering process.
- Keep your paper recycling bin outside. When you get mail, open it over your recycling container and toss everything you don’t need — the envelope your mail came in, the return envelopes (if you pay your bills online), the envelope stuffers, the unimportant parts of your multi-part bills, unwanted catalogs and so on. Don’t even bring that stuff into your house or office.
- Invest in a skip when clearing out bulkier items. There is absolutely no point in holding on to any old pieces of furniture if they cannot be recycled or donated. If you have a lot of furniture that needs disposing of, there are some fabulous websites that allow you to complete a skip hire comparison so it is well worth doing some research to find the best skip for your needs. Just think about how much more spacious your office will be once all your old furniture is finally gone.
- FAT: This stands for “file, act or toss” and has long been the gold standard of decluttering. Personally, I think the “act” part should be broken into two pieces: “Act now” and “Do it today.”
This is much a time-management piece as it is about decluttering your life. Taking immediate action on every stray bit of paper that comes across your desk means you’re giving up the structure of your own day, surrendering your personal power by letting random papers determine what is important and what isn’t. This can also be applied to your home, a friend decided to make use of portable storage providers to ensure that he could declutter, while still having the option to repurpose some of his stuff at a later date.
You may want to set aside a certain time of the day to deal with the important matters that don’t require immediate attention. That way you can handle everything at once, pumping up your productivity, and keeping your workspace from getting cluttered.
Once you do act on something, however, either file it or throw it away.
- Reduce paper. Much of your office or home clutter can be reduced if you opt for electronic bills or you may find that incorporating something like paperless office software that can be found on sites like FilecenterDMS.com could be the way for you to reduce paper in your office. And some companies have started to charge extra if you want an invoice mailed to you. (Something you might consider if you are in business.)
- Rearrange your workspace. View your workspace as a series of concentric circles.
The innermost circle is within arm’s reach. It contains the things you use most often. Your computer will be there. So should your phone, if you are on the horn a lot. What else do you use a lot? Stapler? Paperclips? Pens, paper, printer, calculator? Include in this inner circle the files that you will use that day.
The middle circle holds those things you use occasionally. This may include reference materials, dictionaries (if you’re the old-fashioned type!) and maybe your phone if you don’t use it much, printer paper, etc. You know your own usage best.
The outer circle is where you banish the things you rarely use. We all have these — printer ink cartridges, back-up disks, cords for electronics you no longer own…you know the drill.
- Rearrange your drawers. The rule above also applies to your drawers. Make sure the drawers you use the most are near your dominant hand. Take some time to clean out the years of debris that have accumulated in your drawers so you only have what you need.
- Inbox, schminbox. Got a lot of papers? Throw them in your inbox! At
least they’re in a tidy pile, right? Well, until they start to overflow. And how much time do you waste sifting through your inbox, looking for just the right file or piece of paper?
Use a vertical step file holder instead. They take up way less space on your desk, and because they’re graduated, you can easily see what’s in each folder.
- Use the walls. My home office is very small and I have zero room for even a step file folder. So
what I use instead are wall file holders. Just screw them into the wall and voila! Instant storage for the files I’m working on. Please note: With both these alternatives, you will still have to spend time purging. As soon as you’re finished with the file, put it in the file cabinet.
Use the walls. My home office is very small and I have zero room for even a step file folder. SoWhat’s your biggest clutter issue and how do you deal with it?