How to Organize an Office Purge Day

They say that bigger is always better. While that might be true in many instances, bigger is not better when it comes to the stuff you have in your office space.

The bigger the clutter, the lower the productivity. It is safe to say that everyone needs a process to keep things tidy and organized to maintain efficiency. If you’ve ever found your concentration dwindling as the day progresses, this is probably why.

Clutter is rarely recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives. Clutter is a subconscious bother. That is because clutter diverts our attention away from what we should be focusing on. It causes guilt for being so messy and embarrassing, especially when unexpected visitors visit our homes or workplaces. Clutter overloads our minds with stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), and this causes our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important.

If you’ve had the urge to purge your office space for a while now, there’s no better time than the present. Here is how to organize an office purge day:

1. Identify the office clutter

Did you know that clutter can have a bigger impact on you than you realize? Sure, on the surface, it might seem like you’re not all that bothered by the mess. However, clutter can impact how we feel about not just our office spaces but our homes ourselves.

Before you do an office purge day, start by identifying the different types of clutter. Clutter is defined as an overabundance of possessions that, when combined, create chaotic and disorderly living environments. Messy living and working environments make us feel anxious, helpless and overwhelmed. Find which items create a cluttered environment in the office, and include them in your office purge day routine.

2. Unclutter the cables

Let’s start with something simple and attempt to organize your cables. The number of cables in every office seems to multiply exponentially. You’re probably looking around your desk now and wondering where it’s all coming from.

From phone and laptop chargers to HDMI cords and headphone dongles. It can be a never-ending battle to keep those cables under control, whether they are on top of or underneath your desk. The quickest way to tidy this up and get rid of unwanted cables is to get a labelling system and label each cable as you install it in your office.

If you want to take it a step further, Invest in a cable management system that can quickly and easily organize your cables too. This also helps to ensure they remain organized, neat, and tidy in the future.

3. Replace office paperwork with digital documents

Most of your clutter is probably paper-based. These would be your documents, business cards, sticky notes, meeting notes, and more. Not only do these take up space, but the majority of these documents are not something you look at regularly.

Why not purge the papers and go digital by digitizing your documents. You can easily do this by creating electronic copies, either by scanning them or typing them out.

4. Sort, keep, recycle, or trash

This is probably the most tedious but necessary step. If you want to organize your office supplies faster, make three boxes or bags. Organize your stuff into keep, recycle or trash. Anything that is not urgent or necessary should be trashed or recycled. During this process, you would do a thorough assessment of your items.

It sounds like a daunting task, but it becomes easier to determine what you need once you know what you have. You might be surprised at how much stuff you end up trashing along the way after all!

5. Create a cleaning schedule

Those who dislike cleaning will not want to hear this, but a weekly cleaning schedule is necessary. This is the only way to ensure your clutter doesn’t come back.

Once you’ve done a major declutter session, you only need to set aside one specific day for organization and cleaning. You don’t have to go overboard with it anymore. Set aside a few minutes to clean the surface of your desk and get rid of any unnecessary items. This will make a difference and minimize the likelihood of allowing clutter to accumulate on your desk significantly.

In addition, you should also hire an office cleaning company. These professional services will clean every inch and corner of your workspace. They have the professional equipment to keep the furniture, windows, carpets, and other areas clean. By using a professional cleaning service, you can make every day feel like an office purge day.

6. Build good office habits

To keep your desk clutter-free moving forward, you need to get into the habit of putting things away properly immediately. The most significant change you can make to avoid clutter is developing a new cleanliness and organization habit. A place for everything and everything in its place should be your new motto.

Whenever you get something new like a piece of mail or a new document, decide what you intend to do with it right away. Or, at the very least, decide what to do with it before the end of the day. This is the best way to keep your office clean by making it a habit to avoid clutter altogether.