5 Tips to Clean Up Your Office
Having a messy office can be incredibly distracting, you need this space to be organized in order to help you to think more clearly. Nothing is quite as loud as clutter, so let’s talk about a few tips to clean up your office.
I hope this will help you to create a space you love to be in while helping you with Home Office Organization at the same time.
A cluttered and messy office can lead to a cluttered and disorderly mind. If you want to be productive, it’s important to create a comfortable and functional environment. I know I said it before, but it bears repeating.
Clutter is loud and can be incredibly distracting.
By finding easier ways to clean out the distractions, you will be able to organize what is left and, in turn, create a more inviting office space to work in.
Tips to Clean up Your Office
Before you begin, let’s get rid of the easy things first. This includes any trash, recyclables, and things that belong in another area. We call these the 3 core steps and they are a great way to jump-start your office cleaning.
#1. Do the 3 core steps
Always do these three steps before you begin decluttering an area in your home.
- Remove the Trash – Arm yourself with a trash bag and walk your room. Gather up anything that can be thrown away—empty food bags, napkins, tissues, paper, etc. Take the trash immediately to your trash can.
- Remove the Recyclables – Arm yourself with another bag and gather up any bottles, soda cans, papers, etc. Take what you have to your recycling bin.
- Put Away – Finally, use a laundry basket to gather up any items you see that belong in. another room. Look for dishes, toys, tools, papers, shoes, mail, and anything you know that belongs elsewhere. Once you are done, take the time to walk your home, putting everything inside your basket all the way away.
Please do not overthink these steps; they are meant to be easy so you can declutter your kitchen counters without freaking out. Use them to get a quick win, and let that motivation drive you as you work through the clutter.
Three Steps to Take Before you Declutter
DM Pro Tip: Do not be tempted to set these items off to the side, saving this task until later. Our goal is to keep making progress and that means moving a pile of things from one room to another is relocating and not decluttering. Stop, put these things away, then come back to the office to continue on.
#2. Declutter what you can
One of the best ways to make your office more inviting is to remove the extra stuff. Let’s face it, a messy room can be not only distracting but stressful as well. That’s why it is so important to get rid of anything that doesn’t belong in this space.
Here are a few tips for decluttering your desk:
1.Put away anything that has a home. Pens and pencils in the cup, rubberbands in the drawer, papers in the basket.
2. Donate the excess. This is anything you no longer need or anything you have more than enough of. If, for example, you find you have 40 black pens you may want to donate 30 and only keep 10. Storing less will free up more room so you can organize the things you plan to keep.
3. Give away what you can. If you have children or grandchildren you can create a few art baskets. Highlighters, partial pads of paper, sticky notes, even colored pencils. This is another way to let go of the excess to people that will reallyt enjoy having them.
Next, go through each drawer.
To make this job easier, work on one drawer at a time. Just like in step one, remove any trash or recyclables and get them gone. Next, gather up anything that belongs somewhere else. Whether that be in another drawer or another room altogether. Continue working through each drawer until you touch them all.
When you are finished the only items remaining should be things that are going to be kept there going forward.
Work on the rest.
Once your desk is dealt with you can turn your attention to any shelves, bookcases, and storage areas in this space. Again, get rid of the trash first then anything that you don’t need or use regularly.
Do a final look around.
Finally, take a look around your office as a whole. Are there any other areas that could benefit from some decluttering? If you have too much furniture, for example, see if you have another area where these pieces could be used more efficiently.
D/M Pro Tip: Rather than moving these heavy items yourself, I suggest putting post-it notes on each piece of furniture noting where you want it relocated to. Next time you have help you can move the rest of the heavy items.
#3. Organize your office space as a whole
One of the best ways to make your office more inviting is to organize it. Having a specific place to keep all of your things is not only a good way to keep a room put away it is also a good way to make it easy to find things quickly when you need them.
The reason why a room becomes cluttered is mainly because the things found lying about have not been put away. To make this easier to do you can to use containers or organizers to hold like items so you can toss things in as you are done using them.
My favorite office organizers:
- A shallow basket – Works great to hold paper for the printer.
- A filing cabinet – I love failing cabinets. Not only are they great for holding important papers but you can use the top for a printer or other office equipment.
- Binders – Binders are great to hold papers, family medicial, or manuals.
- A basket – These are great for holding receipts.
- A carousel organizer – An easy space saving way to hold pens, pencils, and markers.
Containers are meant to “contain” things so they do not get lost or misplaced. When you look at organizing in this way it will make it easier for you to streamline each space.
#4. How to create a comfortable office
Now that you have removed the clutter and organized what is staying you can now add a few final touches to make this space more inviting. A comfortable work environment is essential for productivity. When a space is a mess we tend to avoid it. So, if your kitchen is a disaster, for example, you may order takeout rather than cook your meals from scratch. The same is true in your office.
Having a neat and inviting space is a great motivator to use and it may help you to get busy cleaning things out.
Make sure your office is properly lit.
Ideally, you should have a mix of natural and artificial light. This will help you stay alert and focused throughout the day.
Here are a few lighting options:
- Desk Lamp – Great for table work.
- Floor Lamp – Great for office lighting.
- Ring Light – Great for filming.
- Clip Light – Also great for filming.
Make sure your office is at a comfortable temperature.
Some people prefer a cooler temperature, while others prefer it a bit warmer. Find what works best for you. You can also have a remote control fan for the hot days and a remote control heater for the cold. Adjust the temps at the push of a button!
Clean the air.
Plants are a great way to keep the air in a room fresh. If you are not a fan of plants, you can always invest in an air purifier.
Have more than one monitor.
I added a seconed monitor a year ago and it was a game changer for my productivity. If you are only using one monitor you may want to consider adding in a second.
A few things to remember when adding a second monitor.
- Have the same size. This, I find, is easy for me to “see” while working. Check out this selection of monitors.
- Lift them up. If you are using smaller monitors you can get a computer stand to lift them up.
5. Add personal touches
Who says a room meant for work needs to be all business? Add a few personal touches to create a space you truly enjoy spending time in.
Here are a few ideas:
1. Hang pictures or posters that you enjoy looking at. You can use a shelf like this one so you can swap decor out more easily without damaging your wall.
3. Display your favorite quotes or sayings. Quotes are one of my favorite ways to stay motivated and inspsired in my own office.
4. Use fun and colorful office supplies. If your favorite color is green, you can use containers in that color. Storage can be efficient and pretty at the same time.
5. Keep a comfortable blanket or throw nearby for chilly days. I love my fuzzy sweater especially on cold winter mornings!
6. Play music. Do you find you work better with music playing? If so, invest in a player so you can keep your focus and motivation flowing and get more done.
These are just a few tips to clean up your office and, in turn, make this space more inviting to be in. By decluttering, organizing, and adding personal touches, you can create an environment that is both functional and comfortable.