Office Clutter & Solutions

Is your monitor framed with layers of post-it reminders? Is your desktop hidden under stacks of papers, or your guest chair buried under a pile of outerwear? Your colleagues are judging you.

According to a new survey of over 1000 workers by staffing firm Adecco, a majority of Americans (57%) admit they judge coworkers by how clean or dirty they keep their workspaces. Meanwhile, nearly half say they have been “appalled” by how messy a colleagues’ office is and most chalk it up to pure laziness.

If you’ve let your clutter get out of hand, it might be time for some spring cleaning. Whether you’re in a cube or a c-suite, organization experts offer timeless tips to streamline the mess and keep your office tidy year-round.

Set A Weekly Appointment To Clean

Coworkers will associate a messy office with your organization skills and assume their project or proposal will get lost in the landfill that is your desk. It’s important to stay on top of clutter consistently, so that it doesn’t accumulate over time and become too intimidating to tackle. She recommends setting a reoccurring reminder on your calendar to tidy up your workspace for 15 minutes once a week. Toss any trash or items you no longer need, gather personal items that need to be taken home, and sort loose paperwork.

Don’t Make Piles, Set Limits

Don’t fool yourself. Making piles does not reduce clutter. Give everything a place, and then set limits on the amount of items in each. Once you’ve filled your book shelf, remove a book for every new one you add. When you’re filing cabinet starts to overflow, throw out or digitally archive anything older than a year.

 

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