How to organize your cubicle/office

Use containers and file folders

Those blue things in her cabinet, and on top of it – are so handy for holding files, little knickknacks that you don’t want to keep out, but have nowhere else to put them, because you need to get to them ASAP on a regular basis.

Arrange your books and declutter

Get rid of resources you don’t need or use any more. Period. Store them in a drawer if you must, but don’t have them out, distracting you when you’re trying to work.

Her books are also arranged by subject, but I would’ve done it by height (tallest to shortest). For some reason, that looks very clean and logical to me…

One last tip she could’ve done, was arrange her books standing up right, and the ones of the same height, arrange them laying flat stacked up against one side like a bookend. Looks nice for some reason.. Pleasing to the eye.

Use the same colour scheme

Instead of using green, red, orange, and blue boxes and folders, she just chose blue. Why? Because too many colours create visual clutter as well. The only time I’d choose different colours are if a blue box or file folder for example is meant for one project, and the red box and file folders are for another project that I’m working on at the same time.

Get rid of visual clutter

Even what is on the desk right now, is too much for me. I’d want to put all the staplers and stuff into a drawer to be able to reach it, and pictures – I’d limit myself to one. Only one picture. Or none.

But the little toys and figurines have definitely been cut down. I’d only have one figurine, if any… because A) it would mean more by itself without other competiting figurines and B) I am clumsy and WILL knock them over.

Organize your wires/technology

Notice how the phone wires and the computer monitor are tucked together, instead of the phone being spread across the desk with the wire in the middle of everything? It’s also in one spot, and she has other sections clear to work in if she needed to.

Everything in its place

If she keeps up on it, everything will always look neat. The staplers always go back in the same spot (not strewn across at the other side of the desk or in the middle of a big open space).

The papers tacked up on the side board there, are also confined to the ONE area. So instead of having papers all around the entire section, having them arranged and tacked up neatly on one side, looks much better.

No more Post-its!

Post-its are great for tasks that you HAVE to get done, and need a visual reminder of said task. But if you leave that one Post-it up for too long, you get used to it, and it doesn’t hold the same impact or urgency. I’d suggest making a To Do list and checking it off at the end of the day, and creating a new To Do list when you’re done at the end of the week, but don’t post little notes all over the place.

Loose papers need a folder

Loose papers can always be contained in a plain, manila folder. I use clear plastic ones at work with a big label on them, but the basic idea is to NOT have loose sheets of paper scattered around your office.