Get Organized, Get the Job Done

Increasing employee productivity may be as simple as encouraging some early spring cleaning: According to a recent report by the National Association of Professional Organizers, 65% of people surveyed said their home was “moderately disorganized” and 27% said it kept them from being effective in the workplace.

You may not be able to help employees with their home situation, but the following tips from Real Simple magazine can help employees get their workspace—and priorities—in order:

Evaluate supplies. Throw out the pens and highlighters that don’t work, toss out old paperclips, and make a list of the things you need.

Purge your inbox. We’re all guilty of keeping old e-mails, but archive the important ones that have valuable information, and let go of the e-mails that don’t pertain directly to the projects you’re working on.

Set aside five minutes a day to file. Take one pile at a time, and at the end of each day, put papers in the proper place like a file folder or a desk organizer.

Recycle. You don’t need Christmas cards anymore! Put them in your recycling bin along with old notes, 2009 calendars, and anything that distracts from work.

Make time to clean. At the end of the day, or at least once a week, recycle bottles, throw away old food wrappers, wipe down the keyboard and computer screen, and dust open spaces.

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