We all have different working styles. Whether you’re home based or working in a corporate environment, it helps to have an organized desk that works for, and around, you. Generally, there are two overriding principles you want to apply to a space that really works:
- Be practical.
- Be considerate.
Being practical
If you work in an open-plan corporate office, your desk will likely be in a contained space. Your computer, whether laptop or desktop, will be the dominant device on your desk. Around it you will need to fit your daily or ad hoc accessories.
- Declutter – Do a quick audit of all the things sitting on your desk that you use regularly, and the things that you use intermittently, or hardly at all. Anything that is used daily, like writing stationery, paper trays, paper clips or a calculator, should be organized conveniently within arm’s reach. Depending on whether you are left or right handed, keep important items, like your telephone and mouse pad, on your more
naturally active side. If there is anything on your desk that you have not used within the week, consider placing it in a desk drawer or storing it away. When it comes to efficient desktops, less is more. - Prioritise – Organise your work space relative to your working style. Do you refer often to notes or references? Make sure you have a permanent space open for that. Are there physical rates, tables or files that you refer to? Consider having a desktop file divider for easy storage and retrieval. Go easy on the personal items you place around you like family and holiday pictures. You want to individualize your space, but be careful not to clutter with too many distractions. You’re here to work.
- Reassess – Take a moment every few weeks to audit your desk and file or store whatever is not being used. Your requirements might change from project to project. Be fluid in molding your work space around your performance expectations.
The same applies to a home office space. A disciplined and well-maintained desk is a happy work space where you’re able to get things done more efficiently and with less interruption.
Being considerate
We are all mostly part of a greater working environment. Maintaining a neat and efficient desk is a professional protocol that values and respects your co-workers.
- Consolidate – Where you are working on the same or similar parts of a project, consider co-coordinating your filing and storage spaces.
- Establish zones – Apart from your main work space, you may need a dedicated reference area (filing cabinet, shelves, binders) a supply area (cupboards, shelves or drawers) or an operational area (printing, document assembly and binding). Arrange appropriate equipment to provide common ease of access and workflow.
- Keep it simple – When filing or storing, you may not be the only person who needs to understand and retrieve items from a particular system that you have set up. Make things easy on yourself, as well as your colleagues.
- Economize – Stationery, filing and storage systems that are made to last will save you money in the long run. Choose reliable quality that makes your day an uninterrupted, working pleasure. Bantex has long prided itself on manufacturing and supplying a vast range of filing and storage solutions. Take a look through Bantex’s Texo storage range, designed to fit around your working requirements.
File Trays
Wall Units
Colour Co-ordination
