Go-To Guide for Mastering Office Storage & Organisation in Your Workspace

The less time spent finding the things you need means more time getting work done, which is why having a workspace with plenty of office storage is vital to productivity. 

Offices tend to have a limited amount of storage and as the years go by, this often becomes insufficient. Having a way to increase storage in limited space is a challenge, but Buy Direct Online has the advice and products you need to solve any storage problem.

Why Office Storage and Organisation Matter

A cluttered office leads to a cluttered mind, which can affect stress levels and productivity. Having to dig through the clutter can also impact time efficiency, leading to wasted time that can easily be solved with more organisation and better office storage. 

Efficiently organised storage can office aesthetics; a clean, decluttered space looks more professional and acts as a blank slate for creativity.

Assessing Your Current Office Storage and Organisation Setup

Identifying Problem Areas

The first, and most important step to solving office storage and organisation problems is doing a thorough evaluation of your cluttered zones, any inefficient storage, and any potential disruptions to workflow.

For a novel approach, you could run through a typical day and find how much time is needed to locate and gather materials, documents, or supplies. 

Determining Your Needs

Once you have outlined exactly where your problem areas lie, you can then identify what kind of storage options may help to resolve these issues. It can be useful to categorise these into groups based on job roles, desk setups, and available space throughout the office, that way you can identify who or which areas need the most attention to reduce clutter and increase productivity and time efficiency. 

Essential Office Storage Solutions for a Clutter-Free Workspace

Desk Storage Ideas

Starting small is a great way to tackle clutter, so increasing desk storage with handy products like mobile drawers can make storing documents and supplies more time-efficient and simple. In- and out-trays are a great option for reducing clutter on the desk itself, and utilising cable ties and cable boxes can also free up more space. 

Filing Systems for Documents

Filing cabinets may be a necessary evil in a workspace, but ensuring you have an effective filing system with high-quality filing cabinets will make locating and storing documents faster and easier, keeping productivity high when juggling projects. Properly organised digital storage is just as important, so spending the time to properly archive digital files will make it faster to locate them when needed in the future. 

Shelving and Wall-Mounted Storage

One of the best ways to gain extra storage space in an office is with shelving and office storage cabinets, whether it’s full shelving racks or smaller hutches. Empty walls can maximise storage with floating shelves for a minimalist look, or pegboards and hooks for odds and ends. We even stock corner wall shelves that can give function to unused corners of your office.

Storage for Small Office Spaces

Small office spaces are most susceptible to clutter, as real estate is limited and you need to make the most of every bit of space available. This is where the creative use of hutch storage units that sit on desks, under-desk storage, office storage cabinets, or collapsible organisers, can reduce clutter without reducing the space you have available.

Steps to Declutter and Organise Your Office Space

Start with a Purge

Decluttering for some people is stressful, and for others cathartic, but however you feel about it the first step is purging unnecessary items. Start by grouping things into categories, that way you can decide what to keep, what to discard, or what to donate. 

Create Zones in Your Workspace

By defining clear areas for work, storage, and personal items, you can reduce clutter that can occur when items end up filtering all across the office. This can be as simple as having an area for your team to store personal belongings. You can also categorise your zones further by allocating shelves to specific projects, or responsibilities, so you can cut down on time spent looking for things. 

Adopt a “One-In, One-Out” Rule

It works for nightclubs, so why not for office storage? In order to make sure your storage doesn’t overflow immediately, taking on a one-in, one-out rule means you can cut down on clutter as new materials, documents, or equipment get brought into the office.

Must-Have Tools and Accessories for Office Organisation

Organising items in your office is an investment in time, where the more time you spend now to ensure you meticulously label and store items means time saved in the future when locating things. Stocking up on must-haves like filing cabinets, label makers, desk trays, and cable management can help reduce desk clutter and once organised will reduce stress and increase productivity.

Maintaining an Organised Office: Habits and Systems

Daily Clean-Up Routine

It may be a chore to think about chores at the end of the day, but you can’t argue with how effective it is at keeping clutter down. Setting up a daily routine for clean-up around the office is a great way to ensure things get put back where they belong, and that the following day doesn’t have wasted time trying to chase up items.

Regular Decluttering Sessions

Another great way to keep on top of long-term clutter is to have monthly or quarterly decluttering sessions to discard or donate any unnecessary items around the office. This doesn’t have to be a big event, it can simply be a case of quickly going over each storage area, ensuring everything taking up space is getting proper use, and removing any items that aren’t worth keeping around.

Using Digital Tools for Organisation

There is a multitude of digital tools available to help manage organisation of projects and documents These apps excel at streamlining your task management, project scheduling, and digital document organisation, and can be rolled out across employee devices easily so everyone can maximise their workflow.

Office Organisation Tips for Specific Workspace Setups

Home Office Organisation

It’s easy to fall into the trap of having more clutter around your office if you work from home, especially because it can be a challenge to separate and balance your personal and professional life when you use your office for work and leisure. Having a well-organised home office means you won’t get caught having to dig through storage to find what you need.

Shared Office Spaces

Communal areas are the most susceptible to clutter, as you have to deal with multiple people’s belongings in limited space. Shared fridge space is a great example of this, so having to juggle storage in communal areas can quickly become a disaster unless you have a solid storage plan in place and regular decluttering sessions to maintain it.

Remote Work Desk Setups

Remote and hybrid workers don’t often have the benefit of a permanent desk location to work from, so in these instances, portable storage is a really effective solution. Being able to easily relocate filing cabinets or storage boxes as you move around can streamline the adjustment process as you work in and out of the office.

Your Path to a More Productive Workspace

Clutter is like a snowball falling down a mountain; once it starts to get out of control it can be a nightmare to try and fix. Getting on top of your clutter with smart storage solutions can not only streamline your workflow, but reduce stress and mental clutter, letting you tackle the day’s work without having to wade through clutter to find what you need. Buy Direct Online has a large range of storage and decluttering products that can help you start the process, and most importantly maintain it.