Clutter isn't just unpleasant to look at, it can actually be stressful! If your workspace is cluttered and disorganized, you're probably not getting a lot of productive work done. For one, because clutter takes up so much space that it's hard for you to find enough room to keep the things you need around you.
But that's not all! Clutter can also potentially be dangerous. Let's take a look at some of the risks it poses, and some office storage tips to help you declutter.
Risks Posed By Clutter
Fire Hazards
Most people don't know this, but clutter can actually be a fire hazard. This is especially true in the workplace, where documents, notebooks, and paper usually take up large amounts of space on your desk. Paper can give fire more fuel and make it spread further and faster. If you have clutter near the doors, this could keep you from escaping in case you need to run.
While you can't just keep your desk completely empty of things at all times, you can minimize how much you have on it by storing the things you don't have in use at the moment.
Slipping Hazard
Another risk clutter poses is that of slipping. When you have too many things around, you won't notice if a page or two slips out of the pile and falls to the floor. Some types of flooring will keep you safe, while others make it much easier for you to slip and fall.
Keeping your workplace clean and tidy can help you ensure that these issues don't arise.
Stress & Anxiety
One of the biggest problems for workplaces is that clutter can cause stress and anxiety. This isn't a physical hazard and while you aren't getting hurt by it, it does cause problems in other areas of life. For one thing, your workflow will be seriously affected by the fact that you're stressed and create unnecessary obstacles in the process.
If you can't get your work done on time, you'll be bringing problems to your colleagues as well, who are dependent on you.
Clutter can also create other problems for the business that can lead to more stress. As an example, imagine having an important document somewhere in a large pile of documents. It's possible to simply find it, but not only will that take time, but it'll also build up stress as time passes. If you can't find it, not only are you in trouble but recreating it could take up extra time and money, which will result in even more anxiety.
All of this can be avoided if you simply don't let your desk get too cluttered. This is easier said than done, of course. Most of us can't be bothered to clean up after ourselves, especially when we're really engrossed in a task and don't want to shift our focus. Oftentimes, we just get lazy about it.
But keeping the workplace clean is important and doesn't have to be a huge deal. Keeping some tips in mind, you can make sure your work area is decluttered and clean.
Decluttering Your Workspace
Knowing what risks clutter poses is a good incentive to want to clear out your space. For some of us, having experienced these risks may be even more of a push! Most of us, having spent any amount of time at our desks, would know how troubling it can be to be surrounded by clutter.
Let's look at some tips on decluttering your workspace.
Start Over
The best way to clean any space is to start from scratch. Empty everything out - from cabinets to drawers and shelves - and place everything neatly on the floor.
Now, look at what you have, and decide whether you really need it. This can be daunting and quite annoying, especially if you have the tendency to hoard, but it is an important step. You'd be surprised to find out how many things you have just lying around despite not being needed.
Your things should fall into one of three categories: daily use items, which you need every day; archive, which you don't need on hand immediately, but are important and should be available when need be; junk, which you don't need and can toss out.
Now put your things back based on these categories. Your daily use items should be immediately available, while archive items can be put away in separate storage cabinets.
Rearranging Your Space
Sometimes, your workspace gets cluttered because your storage needs have shifted and you need more space than your current arrangement allows. Analyze your layout every time you think your work area is too full. Can it be arranged better? Could you put some things away and make more space, or do you need to make some other changes?
Looking over these things carefully can help you make more space to keep your things.
Using Storage Options
This may seem like an obvious solution, but you'd be surprised by how many people simply toss their things into their drawers or cabinets and call it a day. This may be an easy solution to making your desk look clean on top, but can cause a lot of problems later on when you're trying to find something amidst the pile of documents and papers.
Use storage options like folders, binders, and manuals to keep your things organized. Arrange your shelves and cabinets in a way that doesn't just look clean, but is also easy to navigate through. This may be in alphabetical order, by project, by date, or anything else. But having an arrangement criteria can help, especially when someone else is trying to find something from your shelves when you're not around.
Clean Daily
Another important thing most people miss is cleaning. Once you've decluttered, don't let it go back to being a mess! You have to clean every day by arranging the day's work neatly and putting your things back in their designated spots.
Put your pens in their holders, folders, and binders onto the shelves, and make sure that you don't have anything lying around.
Decluttering once isn't necessarily hard, but keeping your office decluttered is surprisingly a lot more difficult since it requires a certain level of discipline. Let's be honest: we get extremely lazy about it.
But our laziness can cause us more problems down the line, so it's better to clean up when there's less to do than to wait for the work to pile up and then have to go back to square one over and over again.
Flexispot Aesthetic Sit Stand Workstation
You can also keep your things neatly arranged by opting for accessories that allow you to keep your things together and provide extra benefits.
The Flexispot Aesthetic Sit Stand Workstation is one of these. It is designed for you to be able to move your things up and down without having to move your whole desk, so it provides benefits in terms of ergonomics. You can adjust your workstation to allow you to work at any height, which makes it easier to protect your arms, back, and shoulders from pain, as well as allows you to work while you stand, which is good for your health in the long run.
The X-shaped design and gas spring provides a stable up-and-down movement. Depending on how high you place the workstation, you can accommodate users up to heights of about 6 feet. The handle allows you to move it up and down easily without having to struggle with the adjustments.
The workstation also has a minimal aesthetic design since it was created with convenience and versatility in mind. Therefore, it fits into any kind of workspace without any concerns about not matching the overall office style.
It also helps with managing your clutter, since the workstation comes with cutouts to hold containers that can let you organize your desk accessories like pens, pencils, and other such items. Not only does this allow you more space to hold your things, but it also keeps everything within arm's length and keeps the rest of your desk clean.
The workstation also has a spacious keyboard tray, so you have more space to hold your things. Because the depth of the tray is about 11 inches, you can also keep laptops that are larger than the standard size, such as 17" ones.
With these tips and accessories in mind, you can keep your office space clutter-free and clean. In office environments or those that are shared with coworkers, it's important to keep your desk free of clutter and encourage others to do so as well.
By keeping your desk clean and tidy, you can create an efficient work area that will help you get a lot more work done. Instead of spending your time just looking for things and making way to keep any new items you need, you can spend your time working, and become a lot more productive during the day!
