As the office begins to wind down for the festive season, now is the perfect time to set aside some time to declutter and organise your office. After all, what’s better than starting the New Year clutter free?
However, knowing where to start and what to focus on can a daunting prospect. So, here are our 7 simple steps to help take the stress out of your pre-Christmas clear out.
1. Start early
No one wants to be rushing around clearing the office on the last day before the office closes for the holidays, so we recommend laying the groundwork at the beginning of December. Starting your pre-Christmas tidy up early will give you the chance to get organised and ensure there’s enough time for a thorough clear out, making the process less stressful overall.
2. Make a plan
Having a plan of action in place will also make the process less much stressful. Think about what your aims and priorities are. Look around. Which areas of the office will require more attention? Will you need to arrange for removal of old furniture or confidential data? Having a plan, even a loose one, will give you a clearer idea of where to start and the scale of the job.
3. Declutter your office
The best place to start is to focus on one area of your office. Be it a cupboard of old equipment, a particularly crammed filing cabinet or the kitchen area, start at one end of your office and work your way round. Sort items into pile of things you don’t need, things that can go straight in the bin, things that can be recycled, things that need to be destroyed securely and things that need a home. This includes anything from paperwork to old furniture. How about selling items that work but you no longer need? The money you raise could go towards drinks at the office Christmas party!
4. Clear off your desk
Use the same process as step number three and sort out the items from your drawers and top of your desk into piles. Having your own area tidy and organised will put you in the right frame of mind – and it will hopefully encourage your employees to follow suit! If you haven’t done so already, implement a clean desk policy. Not only does this improve the overall tidiness of the office and boost productivity, but it’s also a great way to safeguard your business’ confidential information.
5. Revise your filing system
Sort through your folders in filing cabinets and cupboards and ensure that they’re not only organised in a way that suits you – by subject matter, date or alphabet, for instance – but they’re also documents you actually need. Use this time to consider what paperwork you can store digitally. By digitalising some of your documents, you can get rid of some files and folders, freeing up masses of space in your cabinets. Remember to carry out regular back-ups if you are storing files on your computer!
6. Destroy personal data securely
Now you have piles of confidential documents and data storage devices to get rid of, it’s important that these are disposed of securely. Partnering with a professional shredding company is a cost-effective and simple way to do this. Here at Datashredders, for instance, we offer one-off visits or regular office shredding services to destroy your sensitive data on your premises, providing you with extra peace of mind.
7. Share the load
The onus of clearing out and organising the office shouldn’t be placed solely on the office manager. Make sure everyone gets involved and is responsible for, at least, clearing their own desks. By delegating work and making sure that everyone is doing their part, the task of clearing out your office will be much easier to plan and accomplish.
Planning a pre-Christmas office clear out? Get in touch today for more information on our secure onsite office shredding services!
