UNIT SIX – ORGANISATION IN YOUR WORK AREA

Organisation in our work area is a great tool to help us increase our productivity and keep our tasks and projects in order. However, becoming better organised means more than just keeping your pens and pencils in the right drawer.

It’s more important to develop good organising habits ad valuable techniques that will keep you on the right track in whatever you have to do at work…

KEEPING ITEMS WITHIN AN ARMS REACH

When in your workspace, design your work layout so that everything is within arm’s reach. We waste so much time to go out of our way to get a certain file or to go and stand at the copier.

Generally, if you have to leave your work space to get something, you can become distracted and lose focus, which can interfere with your work and your level of productivity.

So when you get to work every day, before you do anything else, reorganise your area so that you have immediate access to everything, such as your computers, files and folders.

Taking time to do this at the beginning of the day will not only better organise your work space, but it will save so much time that could have been wasted throughout the day.

ONLY HAVE CURRENT PROJECTS ON YOUR DESK

You may have a variety of stacks of papers and projects on your desk, but the key is knowing what is in them. Keep your desk more organised by only keeping the projects that you are currently working with in your work area.

Projects that you have finished should be filed away in the appropriate place, while projects that you haven’t yet finished, should not be in the work space until you do.

Having these projects in sight with your current projects can cause confusion and a lack of focus on unimportant details.

Stay focused on current projects by keeping them on your immediate desk area, and don’t allow anything else to encroach.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN KEEPING PROJECTS ON YOUR DESK:

• When does this need to be finished?

• Is it something that can be completed later?

• Has this already been completed?

ARRANGING YOUR DRAWERS

When you are organising your drawers at work, think about how each one functions in your everyday routine.

• What purpose do your desk drawers serve?

• How often do you use your filing cabinet drawers?

Drawers that are within arm’s reach, such as your desk drawers, should house items that you use often but don’t necessarily need every day. You want to ensure that you have access to everything, without a hitch, while not letting things clutter your desk workspace.

Keep your filing cabinet drawers organised by a certain filing system, whether it is colour labels or alphabetical sorting.

However you decide to arrange and organise your office drawers, be sure to find a method that works for you and will help you increase your ease with finding anything you may need.

ORGANISE TO MATCH YOUR WORKFLOW

Every day you face a variety of tasks or projects to complete, so plan your day accordingly, and plan what you will need to have in order to complete these tasks.

If you know that you will not need your computer, arrange your workspace to utilise your area and don’t bother turning it on.

If you know that you will need the copier or scanner all day, organise the supplies and the space you will need to accompany that.

When you organise your work area to match your current workflow, less time is wasted trying to move between different areas or side stepping certain supplies; and you will increase your productivity throughout the day!

TIPS TO HELP ORGANISE YOUR WORKFLOW:

• Decide what tools you will need for the day.

• Determine if additional supplies are needed.

• Focus on that project or set of tasks for the day.

• Do not try to mix in other things.