Photo: Officeworks
Drowning in documents? Post-its controlling your life? Desk doing your head in? Help is at hand. We asked two experts how workspace should work for you.
Anita Birges, Mise en Place
Professional organiser Anita, who recently partnered with Officeworks, says creating a functional and inspirational workspace is the key to unlocking your productivity potential, regardless of location.
“It’s like a cleansing of the mind and soul,” she says. “Once you declutter the space, you’ll be inspired to sit down and work.”
Anita says a good workspace is comfortable, beautiful and organised. In addition, there are three things every work station should have: a comfortable ergonomic chair, adequate storage and a picture or pop of colour to beautify the space.
“Because you spend most of the day at your workspace, you want to feel stimulated and inspired by it,” she says.
The first step in turning your messy desk into a functional space is having a place for rubbish, recycling and some containers on hand to sort as you go. That will help stop you just moving clutter around.
To create interest without adding clutter, Anita says to find beautifully-designed pieces that are functional, such as a colourful pencil case or magazine box. But don’t overdecorate: stick to one or two items that inspire.
She swears by drawer organisers (otherwise your drawer becomes a place to hide clutter), having an inbox and outbox to prioritise tasks, and labelling important things, such as folders and magazine trays.
Anita also suggests taking a photo of important notes and storing them digitally, rather than attaching Post-its to your screen.
To avoid adding clutter to your home office, she recommends setting up a mail system: as soon as you get your mail, open it and file it away.
For those who don’t have the luxury of working from home, she recommends using the last five minutes of the day to organise your desk for the next morning. That lets you walk in fresh the next day.
Photo: Officeworks
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Lissanne Oliver, Sorted!
Fellow decluttering expert Lissanne likes to emphasise forming a special friendship with … your rubbish bin.
“Clutter is just anything that doesn’t add value. Move it on,” Lissanne says. “Start somewhere easy and ramp it up for as long as you can.”
To start, move desktop contents to another surface, or put papers and other things in a pile to give yourself a bit of room to breathe. Discard old magazines and paperwork (including anything you have a digital copy of), unused equipment, and anything that is broken.
Lissanne says your top drawer should run lean, with just the bare essentials, such as pens, tape and a calculator. Other drawers can house practical items, such as your bag, wallet or a stash of snacks. Keep only what you are actually working on on your desktop. Anything completed can be filed or archived into deep storage.
Only five things should be on your desk at all times, she says. These are your current work, a scratch pad with some nice pens to take notes and write your to-do list, water, something you resonate with (a photo, words, object, colour) and good lighting, such as a lamp.
Having thoughtful lighting and removing noise from talkback or commercial radio will help with your mood and your ability to finish tasks, Lissane says. “Your space should reflect and support you and should provide you with what you need to get your work done in a pleasant manner,” she says.
If you’re stuck with the nine-to-five office slog, Lissane says to be careful your work space doesn’t end up littered with home responsibilities, such as kids’ homework or renovation and holiday plans. A quick weekly clean-up will help.
Lissane says maintenance is crucial and a regular review of what’s on your desk, in your drawers and on your computer will help you stay in control, be productive and remain clutter free.
