Does Being More Organised When Working Help Boost Productivity?
17.03.2022
Some people will find being organised in their work comes automatically – others may struggle with keeping things in order and find the thought of getting organised daunting. However, everyone can benefit from implementing habits and ways of working that help them to become more organised.
Organisation when working undoubtedly helps to boost productivity, allowing us to work much more efficiently and saving us time and stress. Below are just some ways you can become more organised when working, and how it can increase productivity.
Digital Work Spaces
With more people working remotely and hybrid working, it’s more important than ever that businesses have a practical and organised digital work space. Having a central place to store documents means that everyone can access what they need, wherever they may be working. It’s essential that online document storage systems are organised well, with folders arranged in a simple way that makes sense for your business, so finding the file you need is always quick and easy. You should aim to use the same folder structure across the board, so people can intuitively find the document they need and won’t have to waste time looking.
This should also apply to your individual digital space, including your desktop. You should always make sure to organise your digital files properly, so you know where to find your documents. Not only will the visual clutter of just dumping everything on your desktop have a negative impact on your productivity, but you’ll also have to waste time searching for specific files when you need them.
You could also use an online project management space with your team, where people can collaborate on and discuss projects. It’s vital that this sort of programme is also organised correctly, so people always know exactly the status of a project and what is expected of them. When digital spaces are properly organised, the whole team can work much more efficiently and productively.
Desk Tidy Ideas
As well as organising your digital work space, you should ensure that your physical workstation is organised properly too. There are many tools and ways to organise your desk that can help with productivity.
Letter trays are a great way to help keep both your work projects and your desk organised. With the Leitz Cosy Set of 3 Letter Tray, you can organise post and other documents across different trays, so you can have a separate pile of papers that you need to deal with, papers that are in progress, and papers that are complete. With stacked letter trays, you can keep lots of documents organised whilst taking up a small footprint on your desk, so you can reduce clutter. This can help you be more productive, so you always know what needs to be done and won’t have the distraction of a messy desk.
You could also use desk organising units to help keep your desk and tools tidy and within easy reach. When your tools are kept in their proper place, you won’t have to spend time searching for something specific when you need to use it. Also, by working at an organised desk, you can also keep your mind clear and free of distractions, so you can focus on the task at hand.
Task Management
Organising and prioritising your own task list can really help you to work more productively. If you start the day with a long list of tasks, it can be difficult to know where to start and how you need to approach the day. Taking some time at the beginning of every day or every week to look at what needs to be done and organise your priorities means you can work in a more streamlined manner.
To help you organise your tasks, you could use a whiteboard or desktop glass easel to note down your projects and the order you need to complete your tasks for the day or week. Using a glass writing tool and dry-erase pen means you can easily update your to-do list if last-minute projects come in, and still keep organised and on top of everything. Plus, using a whiteboard or glass note-taking device means that you can do your bit for the environment whilst keeping organised and productive, as you can just wipe and reuse over and over again, rather than using paper.
Time Keeping
Time keeping is an essential part of staying organised and productive at work. If you have meetings with colleagues or clients throughout the day, you’ll want to make sure you attend on time and fully prepared, so you can use the time efficiently. Make sure to use your digital calendar to set reminders for meetings and other appointments and give yourself plenty of time to prepare beforehand if needed.
You can also use your calendar to mark project deadlines and set reminders with plenty of time to spare, so you don’t leave projects to the last minute and have to rush to complete them. You could even put individual tasks in your calendar to thoroughly organise your day and ensure you work with maximum productivity. Make sure to also include time to take a break, every half hour or so, even to just take five minutes away from your screen or to take part in some desk exercises.
It might be that you prefer physical visual reminders for your meetings and appointments, so they’re always at the forefront of your mind. Instead of cluttering your workstation with sticky notes, use the Leitz Cosy Silent Glass Wall Clock. Not only is this clock silent, so you won’t be distracted by constant ticking, but it comes with a dry-erase pen which you can use to write on the glass front of the clock – just write any important meetings or reminders for the day at the time they’ll be happening, and then wipe away when they’re done. This way you can keep your day organised and also keep a tidy and clutter-free workstation.
Filing
When you’re dealing with lots of documents, it’s important to file them correctly. If your documents aren’t filed and organised correctly, you could waste time searching for specific documents and even end up losing important files in the mess.
The Leitz Click and Store range features storage boxes, drawer cabinets, and magazine files that are all perfect for organising paperwork at home and also in the office. Suspension filing is a great way of organising your documents when you need frequent access, or archive boxes are useful for home file storage and paperwork that you need to keep but don’t need to access as often. You should aim to file your documents in a way that makes sense for your business – usually by client, perhaps with further sub-folders for different projects. Whether you’re working at home or in the office with others, you should make sure that everyone who needs to access the documents knows the filing system and can organise the documents appropriately.
When you have physical documents, you’ll need to ensure you dispose of them properly if they contain confidential information. So, you should always have a paper shredder on site so you can quickly and efficiently get rid of documents that are no longer needed. If you aren’t able to dispose of confidential documents properly, you could find they create clutter in your filing system and make it more difficult to work productively.
Leitz has a huge range of tools for office organising and equipment to help with your organisation at home. Work more productively by organising your files and projects, with Leitz.
For more tips to keep you organised, read our below articles:
Can You Use Technology to Improve Your Home Office?