When life is going fast and you’re busy with a multitude of to-do’s, it’s easy to get disorganized and overrun by clutter. Clutter adds to your stress levels, not to mention the time wasted trying to find an item you need. There are many benefits to being organized. In fact, decluttering can do more for your health than you realize like reducing stress and increasing productivity and focus.
So how can you get organized quickly and affordably? Here are some tips on organizing your office and home from the experts at Parade, Indeed.com, and Good Housekeeping.
Organization Tips for the Office
- Put essential supplies within easy reach – items that aren’t often used should be removed and put into storage.
- Streamline your office – get rid of broken equipment, supplies you don’t use anymore and shabby-looking décor like artificial plants or desk sculptures that are gathering dust.
- Hide wires and cords with zip ties behind your desk or use the wire-management system that’s part of your office furniture.
- Label everything – bins, shelves, and drawers to help employees find items and know where to put them when finished with a job.
- Rethink your filing system – Whenever possible, go paperless and have a backup system in place. For paper items, place them in colored-coded folders so they’re easy to find.
- Take some time to declutter your digital spaces including deleting emails, files, and photos you don’t need and uploading the ones you do need to the cloud.
- Arrange necessary supplies in a desktop organizer or in containers (like Alpha Rho’s high-quality rigid plastic boxes with lids).
- Use hidden storage to keep supplies out of sight such as undershelf baskets and bins that slide under furniture.
- Keep work desk drawers organized with containers and dividers. Our compartment boxes are a great option for organizing items kept in drawers and closets – particularly office supply ones.
- Sort through your piles – make it a habit to sort through piles of paper, files, and mail on a regular basis. Immediately decide whether each item should be scanned, shredded, or stored and take care of it right away.
- Discourage multitasking – work on one project at a time and only have the items related to your project available.
- Schedule a quick cleanup each afternoon before you leave for the day and get rid of any accumulated clutter.
Organization Tips for the Home
- Ask yourself what items you actually use and keep the things you are 100 percent sure you want – and ditch the rest! Use your energy to simplify.
- Clear off all flat surfaces and keep them clean! Put everything on the floor and only add back the essentials. Store the rest in drawers, bins, or hang them from hooks.
- Make the most of underutilized storage spaces. Underbed storage can be a lifesaver in small spaces. Keep seasonal clothes in soft storage bags which can be squished to fit.
- Designate a place for the clutter to go – for example keep unopened mail in a basket or bin instead of on the kitchen counter.
- Create a catch-all landing station near the door for keys, purse, sunglasses, etc.
- Establish a “one in, one out” rule. The easiest way to keep a home organized is to have less stuff. Create a rule that if you buy something new, you have to let go of something you already have.
- Conceal clutter smartly. Invest in closed storage pieces for your living room, dining room, or family room.
- Take an inventory of your closets and say goodbye to anything you haven’t worn in a year. The one in, one out rule works great for closets. Give yourself a large bin to pack keepsakes and only put what you can’t live without in the bin. If you’re having trouble getting rid of stuff, as organization expert Marie Kondo suggests, ask if the item(s) in-question spark joy.
- Compartmentalize drawers – Group similar items into categories so you can find exactly what you need in a pinch. Fill them with mini bins and dividers. As mentioned above, our compartment boxes that come in all shapes and sizes can serve this purpose.
- Install a space-saving desk – If you can’t designate an entire room for a home office, add a flip-down work area to just about any corner. When you’re not using it, just close it up and keep items tucked inside.
- Hang pots and pans with command hooks on an unused wall instead of taking up valuable cabinet space.
- Hang a Hair Station – affix small bins inside cabinet doors for hot tools, brushes, and hair ties.
- Store shoes from heel to toe to create more shoe shelf space.
- Hang purses with shower hooks to keep them off the floor (also works for scarves).
- Store cans sideways and keep them in wire baskets in your pantry.
- Trade an All-in-One for small bins to hold cutlery – Those cutlery organizers always leave awkward space in a drawer. Use individual small bins from the dollar store to create a custom sized storage solution for knives, forks and spoons that doesn’t waste an inch.
- Stash cutting boards on the back of a cabinet door by attaching a wire bin.
- Baskets are your best friend when it comes to decluttering – you can throw virtually anything in a decorative basket.
- Make use of over-the-door pocket shoe organizers – they’re great for storing kids’ toys, like plush animals and Barbie dolls.
- Keep clutter from accumulating by choosing smart storage containers. Clear acrylic storage bins are one of the most durable and versatile storage hacks for any area of the home, plus they stack to make the most of storage space. You’ll also be able to see what’s inside. Alpha Rho’s clear plastic canisters may be just what you need to store a group of small, similar items, while being able to easily identify what’s in the container.
- Set a timer when decluttering. Time yourself to stay motivated. If you get overwhelmed, do just 5 minutes of clean up at a time.
Alpha Rho’s Rigid Plastic Boxes are great for keeping organized! Check out our products on our website for a multitude of options!
Sources:
Indeed.com: “20 Office Organization Tips and Ideas”
Parade: “These 50 Best Decluttering Tips will Help You Get Organized at Last!
Good Housekeeping: “100 Best Organizing Tips for the Tidiest Home Ever”
Why Choose Alpha Rho?
As the largest manufacturer of high-quality rigid plastic boxes in New England, Alpha Rho has been a leading supplier of injection-molded plastic boxes, with a reputation for providing dependable plastic packaging solutions for over 50 years. Our custom rigid plastic boxes – compartment, hinged, friction fit, custom shapes – are used extensively in multiple industries such as retail and hobby, food and confectionary, medical and industrial.
We offer reliable service to meet your needs. You can check out our list of products here, or request samples today and experience the quality of Alpha Rho’s products first hand.
