How to organise your office for maximum productivity

Part of the: Office Fitout Collection

The first step to a more productive and efficient office is organising the office to be clean and sorted so that everyone and everything can function at their maximum capabilities. Now organising an office might seem like an overwhelming task, but a plan takes away the stress. So stop for a second, have a look around, is your office as productive as it could be?

Step 1: Rearrange and purge. Take that first step, start clearing out the old and make way for the new. Start by de-cluttering everything – empty, shred, remove and just throw everything that is not needed or used in your office. This will make finding everything day to day a whole lot easier. Maybe you should rethink your layout, plan your office around the things that need to be done, the daily tasks, to ensure that you have a fluent workspace that allows your team to work effectively. Find everything a new home – all useful items in the office need to have a set place to live, so that they won’t be lost and anything can be found in a heartbeat.

Step 2: Renew old systems. It’s easy to get stuck in your old ways and keep to that same way of thinking. But just as a change is as good as a rest, now is the time to reinvent and renew vital office systems. Create working zones – decide what happens and where it happens. Designate brainstorming areas as well as PC or non-PC areas to avoid unwanted crossovers and distractions in your office. Revise and rethink your filing – the world is rapidly moving into a digital age, so make the most of it. Choose which documents need to be stored digitally and which documents need to retain their physical form. Keep your PC and emails in check and organise, organise, organise. Organise your emails into priority folders, from urgent ‘read now’ emails to emails that aren’t so high on your ‘to do’ list – less administration time for everyone and just more time all round.

Step 3: Reinvent and renew communication. In today’s day and age we are more connected than ever before, however in an office, effective communication can sometimes fall short. Stay fresh – don’t be entirely reliant on emails for online communication throughout your working space, try new communication forums, new apps and new methods to reinvent and renew effective communication that will undoubtedly leave your working space better off. Try a response folder – whether for co-workers or clients, add any items that require a discussion to a response folder that can and should be, checked frequently. This means nothing will escape your attention and nothing will be forgotten. Be direct – living in a digital age means that it easy to hide behind your screens. Restore and encourage direct communication between employees – its quick, easy and effective.

Step 4: Renovate your and your office’s desk space. For maximum productivity and efficiency, it is absolutely essential that every desk is organised and clutter free – physically and digitally. Keep everything at arm’s reach – keep essential everyday items on your desk within your reach, with other frequently used items in draws to avoid an on-desk pile up. Create a desk system that flows – whether on your computer or in hand, organise documents and emails into three folders or trays: Inbox, in-progress, and complete. This will do wonders for you every single day you look to combat the confusion of what is up to date and what you need to do next. Expiry dates – avoid the inevitable document pile up by marking filed documents with an expiry date. Files that are no longer needed can be discarded to keep your filing slim and manageable. These are just a few tips to help you enhance your and your office’s productivity and whether you focus on one single tip or try them all out, the amount of productivity directly depends on the amount of effort that you put in. So there is no better time than now to adapt and make changes in your work, in a world that is always changing and diversifying, so stop putting off yesterday’s jobs and maximise your productivity and efficiency today.

via: Make it Cheaper