Did you know that around 54% of Americans are overwhelmed with clutter and don’t know what to do with it?
Are you constantly searching for the right document in your drawer? Are you struggling to focus because of the clutter on your desk?
You may start to ask yourself how to stay organized at work. Organization can save you time and keep you more productive.
Check out our guide below for our tips on staying organized at work.
- Don’t Pretend to Multitask
According to studies, around 98% of people aren’t able to multitask.
So unless you’re in the select couple of percent that is able to do more than one task at the same time, stop pretending please.
Don’t kid yourself! You probably don’t get much done when you multitask.
Why not try to focus on a single task at any one time?
When you complete one task, that’s when you move onto another one. This way, you actually achieve a lot more within a set amount of time.
- Take Control of Your Inbox
Did you know that on average, about 28% of the working day is spent on reading and answering emails?
That’s probably not the best use of your time. Simple ways to speed things up with your emails can give you a lot more time.
This could begin by making sure your emails don’t get out of hand. If you don’t regularly check throughout the day, you could find yourself with tons of unread emails in your inbox.
- Search for Answers
If you don’t know something, don’t waste your time trying to figure it out. There are answers to any questions on the internet.
That includes everything from how to write a press release to how to convert pdf to word documents.
You can make everything much faster when you simply Google what you want to know from the start.
- Put Your Phone on Silent
We know that cell phones distract us all the time. How can you expect to concentrate on your task if your phone is constantly pinging with messages?
An Instagram notification here and a message from your friend there. Before you know it, you’ve spent another 10 minutes on your phone.
You can solve this problem easily. Just put your smartphone on silent immediately when you walk into the office.
If you’re still distracted, put your cell phone out of sight. This way, you won’t even be tempted to pick it up.
- Go Paperless
If you have paper everywhere around your working space, you’re probably less organized than you could be.
Paper isn’t easy to manage, after all. Before you know it, your drawers and filing cabinet get out of control.
That’s why whenever possible, you should go digital. Paperless is much better for the environment and more efficient for staying organized as well.
- Tidy Your Desk Regularly
Many workers are busy all of the time. It’s almost impossible to find the time to do anything like tidying your desk.
However, you’d be surprised by how tidying and cleaning your desk could actually save you time in the long run.
Just arrange a couple of hours per month to tidy everything in your office. This kind of frequent re-organization is a great way to stay on top of your work.
- Unsubscribe From Emails
Everyone is subscribed to emails they never read. There are certain emails that you delete as soon as they land in your inbox.
Why not make your life simpler and unsubscribe? It’s usually very quick and convenient to unsubscribe from a mailing list.
Even if it saves you a few seconds every week, then it’s definitely worthwhile getting rid of them from your inbox.
- Schedule Regular Breaks
You may think that workers who spend an hour on lunch are the lazy ones. However, you’ll be shocked to hear that this is actually a sign of engagement.
When you take a proper lunch break, you are more alert for the rest of the afternoon. This makes it much easier to focus on your work.
But your breaks shouldn’t just be to have your lunch. You should also take breaks throughout the day to get some air or go for a walk.
This allows your brain to recover and reset for when you return to your desk. You’ll see that your productivity skyrockets.
- Plan Your Day
Do you wake up in the morning and wonder what you’re going to do that day?
This isn’t exactly the most efficient way to stay organized. You should plan your day the night before. This way, you can immediately prioritize the tasks that matter.
Putting together a schedule is easy with one of the many organization apps. Just map out the most important tasks of the day so that you get everything done on your to-do list.
- Reduce Your Office Supplies
It’s good to be prepared for any eventuality. But you can’t simply pack your office with supplies of pencils and staplers. This will quickly result in clutter.
Ask yourself if you really need so much stuff everywhere. You may find that you can cope without as many office supplies. Just order what you need when you need it.
You may be surprised that this doesn’t actually slow down your productivity as much as you might think.
Know-How to Stay Organized at Work
If you want to know more about being organized at work, then you need to follow our tips and tricks.
Staying organized in the workplace isn’t easy. It’s possible to clutter your desk without even noticing it. But keeping yourself organized is crucial if you want to stay productive and achieve results at work.
Do you want to learn more about how to stay organized at work? Check out our website for more business advice!