With the end of the year fast approaching, it’s a good time to focus on your surroundings and think about clearing any clutter that may have built up over the year. Taking the time for an end of year detox will mean you’re ready for a fresh start in the New Year.
Organisation comes naturally to some of us but colleagues can often need some encouragement to tackle the past year’s clutter. For anyone who needs a little motivation, Avery has launched www.avery.co.uk/organiseyourlife – an online hub packed full of advice and tips to inspire organisation.
Here’s a few handy tips on how to have a successful end of year declutter in your office:
- Don’t go it alone, clutter is much better tackled as a team. Try and block out some time in colleagues’ diaries so you can all take on the challenge together. Send regular reminders and consider a team reward for when the work is done.
- Consider taking before and after photos for future motivation and to show senior members of staff the value of an office de-clutter.
- Paperwork piling up is the bane of many offices – did you know, on average, we each print off 343,504 pages in our working lifetimes? It’s staggering but true. Divide any paperwork up into piles – what can be recycled, what should be shredded and what must be kept? Invest in smart storage boxes or binder folders for any paperwork you keep.
- Make sure you label your boxes and folders carefully so that everyone in the team can find what they need in future. A bright bold label will help with this, consider adding relevant logos or images to help make the task of finding paperwork even easier. You can do this with free online template software from Avery.
- Avoid labelling your storage with words like ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘other’ as you’re unlikely to remember what’s in there in a few months’ time. For filing labels that stand out, take a look at some of the Avery predesigned templates.
- Did you know looking for paperwork and stationery takes up an average of 13 minutes of an office worker’s day – every day, so clear labelling could really save some of your office time.
- Desks are another common source of clutter, if paperwork is the problem here – why not group your piles with clips and give them each customised labels according to the action needed, such as ‘need signature’ or ‘file’.
- If space is limited on desks, stackable desktop accessories are a great solution to make the most of your surface space.
- Don’t let cables cause chaos! If your desks are cluttered by tangled cables, make it easy to grab the cord you need quickly using Avery Cable Markers. They’re designed specifically to withstand the heat of electrical cords.
However you tackle your end of year detox, we’re sure you’ll find it worthwhile. Just think of the productivity boost and head start you’ll be giving yourself in 2017, with a clear and clutter-free workspace.
You’ll find more useful advice, templates and handy product suggestions to get your office in order online at www.avery.co.uk/organiseyourlife.
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