By Ashley Preen

April 27, 2016

Six ways to make your office more productive

One of the best ways to be productive is by making your office a place where work can be done as efficiently as possible while being in a comfortable environment. Here are six tips on making your office a space for ultimate productivity.

Divide up your office into functional areas

You probably already use different areas of your office for different functions quite naturally. However, this doesn’t mean you have all your equipment and supplies where you need them. For example, if you have printer paper on your desk, but your printer is somewhere else so you constantly have to walk between the two places, move the paper closer to the printer.

Keep the most-used items close to you

The more you use a certain item, the closer it should be to your workspace. You wouldn’t, for example, keep a pen in a cupboard well away from your desk if you always use the pen at your desk. If there is something you rarely use, store it somewhere out of the way to decrease clutter.

Think about storing files digitally

It used to be that you needed all your important documents printed out on paper and stored in filing cabinets, which took up a lot of room. Even if you already use digital storage to keep your important documents safe, have another look through all your filing cabinets to see if there is anything else you can keep on your computer instead of on paper. But make sure you make backups of everything you have on your computer.

Don’t forget to clean your desk

For most jobs, especially office jobs, the majority of the work you do is done at your desk. That means keeping your desk tidy is one of the most important parts of being productive at work. Before you leave for home each evening you should have a quick tidy up of your desk so that when you come back the next morning you come back to a clean desk ready for action.

Clear out your whole office

The best way to design an office for ultimate productivity is by starting from scratch. Look through everything in your office and get rid of the things you never use or things you’ve been holding onto in case you might need them but which you’ll never actually use. Once your office is clutter-free you will be in a much better position to decide where to put everything you do actually use.

Make a note of when you can throw away each document

Files and documents can quickly build up if you do not sort through them regularly. You can make this easy for yourself by making a note of exactly when each document will no longer be needed and can be thrown away or shredded.