5 ways to organize the office for increased efficiency and productivity

Clutter-free workspace goes a long way toward supporting productivity.

By Cooper Klein

The office can be a pretty hectic environment, especially if your small business has finally taken off and you were able to move into a new space with a bigger team of devoted employees. The more people, the more clutter, traffic, noise, and distractions. Allowing a frenzied environment to continue is not exactly conducive to productivity and performance, and can actually lead to a steady decline, resulting in subpar results and general employee dissatisfaction.

We don’t want that, now do we? Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing solutions to the problem of office efficiency and daily productivity you can introduce right away without sacrificing time or precious financial resources. Here are five ways you can organize your office space for increased efficiency and productivity.

Keep it clear of unnecessary clutter

One of the most affordable solutions in terms of time, effort, and money you can introduce is to simply stick to regular decluttering around the office. Clutter can accumulate remarkably quickly in a high-traffic office space, with employees leaving everything from files and folders to coffee mugs and personal trinkets lying around on a daily basis.

Not to say that you should forbid your team from bringing personal belongings to work (quite the contrary), but you should ask them to limit the clutter on their workstations in pursuit of productivity, cleanliness, and mental clarity. So be sure to declutter the office space at least every month.

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Optimizing storage will not only help keep clutter at bay, but it will also help with employee productivity, efficiency, and frankly, their sanity. Leaving everything lying about on desks, shelves, and windowsills is not only a great way to lose valuable documents, but it is also a great way for your employees to feel stressed out, nervous, and unproductive on a daily basis.

That’s why simple solutions such as organized storage racks, priority folders and shelves, and modern desk organizers are crucial in maintaining workflow and general positivity around the office. Be sure to have your employees (as well as yourself) prioritize their storage by keeping the important stuff near, and the seldom used stuff somewhere else, like the chunky file cabinet at the far side of the office.

Label everything

We live in a digital world, which makes it infinitely easier to lose track of your physical documents, and necessities, and get cluttered up in chaos. This is not something that should be allowed to happen, as it will significantly obstruct daily workflow and general efficiency. The simple solution is to label everything in the office.

And that does mean everything. From contracts and important files to drawers, shelves, and everything around the workstation, you can use handy Dymo label tapes to mark everything in the office. This way, your employees don’t have to waste time trying to find things or tremble in the realization that something important has gone missing. In turn, this simple solution with help significantly boost efficiency and productivity.

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All of this has brought us to the question of individuality, personality, and uniqueness in the workspace. Different positions in the company require different work conditions, and that includes your managing position as well. While a 3D animator might require a beastly computer with various peripheral gadgets on the side, a content creator might simply need a decent laptop and a quiet space to let the creative juices flow.

With that in mind, it’s important to diversify your office space, and create a work environment that corresponds to modern office trends. Your office space should, therefore, not only boast a quiet room for when the maximum concentration is needed, but it should also be equipped with the right tech for every job.

Furthermore, you shouldn’t forget about additional, shared spaces such as rec rooms, the kitchen, numerous small meeting rooms, co-working cubicles for small teams, etc. There are plenty of ways to optimize every workstation to fit the needs of each position, so don’t miss the opportunity to experience long-term benefits that come from devoting time to this crucial task.

Don’t underestimate the power of greenery

Last but definitely not least, greening up your office space can have numerous wonderful benefits you wouldn’t want to miss out on. Not only can a philodendron or a nice Chinese evergreen here and there elevate the aesthetic appeal of the office, but strategic greenery can also help improve air quality in the room, leading to increased mental clarity and focus, among other benefits.

What’s more, enriching your office with greenery can be an excellent way for your employees, as well as yourself, to relax and recuperate without leaving the desk. Simply having the ability to divert your attention to a soothing green hue for a couple of minutes can work wonders for your productivity and performance.

Organizing the office to boost productivity and efficiency on a daily basis doesn’t have to be a lengthy, or costly challenge. In fact, by implementing these simple tips, you will be able to seamlessly inspire positivity throughout the office and create a thriving community of devoted individuals working hard to achieve a mutual goal.

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Cooper Klein is an entrepreneur with a degree in Marketing. He’s interested in real estate and home decor. To spend more time with his family, Cooper decided to take a break, and he’s currently working from home as a blogger for SmoothDecorator and several other sites. You can find him on Twitter.

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