Transform Your Workspace: 5 Proven Techniques for Decluttering

Decluttering for the workplace is about more than just making space in your office. It's about creating a space where you can be productive, inspired, and excited about what you do every day. And when it comes to doing that as effectively as possible, decluttering is your best friend! We'll walk through 5 proven techniques that help you declutter your workspace so you don't have to waste time looking for things—and so you can focus on doing the work that really matters.

Put your piles in their places.

Group items together. If you have a lot of things on your desk, it can be overwhelming to try to organize them all at once. Start with the most important items—those that you use most often—and put them in their own special place.

Use trays or baskets to corral loose papers and other clutter into one place. This makes it easy to throw everything away when it's time for a big purge, since everything is already together in one spot!

Make an effort to always put things back where they belong after using them—not just because this is polite behavior and will make others' lives easier (although that's true), but also because doing so will help keep your workspace tidy over time!

Manage your cables.

Use cable management products. Cables are a huge source of clutter, but there are ways to manage them. Use cable management products to keep your cables organized and tidy. You can find these at many office supply stores and online. Some products include plastic clips that hold your cables in place; others are designed to wrap around desk legs or run underneath furniture so that power cords don't get tangled up with each other. Keep cables out of sight. Cables are easier to manage if you can keep them out of sight. If possible, run your cables behind furniture so that they're not visible from where people sit or stand. You can also use cable management products that conceal the cables underneath desks and tables, in wall pockets or behind bookshelves.

Don't forget about your digital files.

There are many different ways to organize your digital files and it's best to choose a system that works well for you. Some people prefer the traditional folder structure, while others prefer using tags or keywords to organize their documents. Regardless of the approach you choose, make sure that your digital files are backed up on an external drive or on the cloud in case of emergency. As with physical paper clutter, it is important to have a plan for how and where you will store your digital documents so that they can be easily found when necessary. It's also a good idea to keep only what is necessary and delete any information from old projects or assignments that is no longer relevant or needed.

Be selective about supplies on your desk.

When it comes to your desk, less is more. If you have a lot of supplies on hand, it's easy to start collecting items that aren't essential and clutter up your workspace.

Put everything in a pen cup or drawer organizer so they're all in one place and easy to reach.

Use dividers on your desk surface to keep documents organized. This works especially well if the dividers match the color or type of documents being stored—for example, having one section for important paperwork and another for personal memos or reminders.

Get a file cabinet with practical features

You need a file cabinet that takes up as little space as possible. The more drawers, shelves and wheels it has, the better! It should lock so that no one can get into it. It should have label makers on every drawer so that you can easily identify what’s inside each one. Put all of your files into the drawers, and label them. If you have too many files to fit in the cabinet, get one that has more drawers or shelves.

Learn how to declutter your workspace so you can focus on what really matters at work.

When you’re working in a cluttered workspace, it can be hard to focus on what matters. You might feel overwhelmed by all the clutter and end up putting things off until later, which just makes your workspace messier. Clutter can also be a distraction—if you’re trying to get something done and have too many other things around that need your attention, it’s easy for work-related tasks to fall through the cracks. Plus, clutter can cause you to lose things that are important for completing projects at work such as papers or files (which means an increase in time spent searching for these items).

By implementing these techniques for decluttering your workspace, you can make room for more important things like work and relaxation. It’s time to stop letting clutter hold you back from achieving your goals at work.