How to Stay Organized at Work: 5 Indispensable Tips

Feel like you could be way more focused and productive if only you were more organized? If so, you’re not alone — 91% of workers feel the same way.

There’s nothing wrong with a workspace that’s a little lived in. When it starts to affect your productivity, it might be time for a change.

Luckily, we’ve got a solution that will get you back on track. Here are five tips on how to stay organized that will make your workplace work for you!

1. Declutter

The first step towards taking control of your time is to declutter your space. A cluttered desktop is one of the major productivity drags in the workplace.

Whittle it down to your bare essentials to see what you need to add or subtract. Having everything in its place will make you much more efficient.

2. Make a List

If you start the day not knowing whether you’re coming or going, this tip is for you. Lists are powerful organizational tools that lay out all of your tasks for the day.

Once you have your list, don’t multitask. Focus on one item at a time so that your efforts aren’t scattered and pulled in a lot of different directions.

Use an online agenda template to make your daily to-do list look exactly the way you want it to. We promise you’ll get addicted to the wonderful feeling of crossing off completed tasks.

3. Keep a Calendar

This goes hand in hand with your lists. Just like you need to see where you are every day, you need to know what you’ve conquered in the past and what’s coming up in the future.

It’s up to you if you prefer a big calendar on the wall, a small, portable calendar you write in, or an app on your phone. Whatever works best for you and keeps you on track is what you need to use.

4. Take Time Off

Surprised that we would suggest stepping away from the workplace to stay organized? Don’t be — it makes a lot of sense to take a step back and recover from your tasks.

You need some downtime to reorganize your thoughts and be at peak performance. Taking a break, whether it’s a quick walk or a week-long vacation, gives your brain a breather and time to recoup.

5. Blocking and Batching

A huge, complex task seems overwhelming. You can chip away at these mountains bit by bit with blocking and batching.

Blocking involves making space during the day for certain activities. For example, you only answer emails from 9 AM to 10 AM and again from 3 PM to 4 PM.

Batching involves doing a sprint of one task all at once. On one day, funnel all of the work for one particular task at that time and get it all done.