Used Documents Piling Up And Making A Mess? Here's What You Can Do

Used Documents Piling Up And Making A Mess

Documents are one of the major problems of many offices. Aside from the fact that many employees face tons of them every day, they can be hard to dispose of and organize too, especially if they’ve already piled up on your desk.

While it’s common, it doesn’t have to be that way. Apparently, the clutter on your desk can affect your productivity, your mood, and even your energy at work. Thus, whenever you can, it is important to keep your office clutter from clutter.

But then again, how can one deal with tons of used documents? Here are some tips to help you manage your files.

Shred

One of the first things that you can consider is to have your used documents shredded. Most documents in an office contain vital data not just of the company but also of their clients. That said, specialists in document destruction in Melbourne suggest that one of the things you can do is to shred them. This way, you can also protect your clients’ data and privacy.

To do that, you can simply buy a shredder to use. Then, recycle the pieces of paper.

Or, you can ask your local shredding service providers to do the job for you if you don't have in-office recycling. Such services can provide bins for the documents that need to be disposed of and then they will pick them up from your office. Some service providers will even allow you to watch the process and offer certificates of compliance.

Organize

Sometimes, with all the work that needs to be done, it’s hard to organize stuff in the office. And truth be told, it’s tempting to just put documents away and save the reading for later until you completely forgot about it.

But, one of the keys to staying organized and keeping piles of documents from your desk is to manage them as soon as you receive them. Read it, answer it right away, label it, or store it. Whatever you want to do about it, do it as soon as possible. Just don’t let it sit on your desk untouched.

This way, you won’t find your desk with tons of paperwork and used documents. Needless to say, this will help you declutter your desk more easily.

Check Doubled Documents

There are also times when documents are doubled. Hence, you find yourself dealing with piles of documents. Aside from added clutter, this isn’t good for the environment either.

What you can do is to check if there are any documents with multiple copies. Keep only one copy and then dispose of the others. Once you dispose of the copies, label the original or store it right away.

This way, you can lessen the amount of clutter in your office. Plus, your desk will become more organized.

Separate What to Keep and What to Toss

To organize better, make sure to always separate your files. Have a place where to store the ones that need to be saved and then use a bin for the ones that are needed to be disposed of.

Doing this will help you declutter your desk quickly. Also, you won’t need to deal with unnecessary documents and worry about where to store them.

Name Your Files

Used Documents Piling Up And Making A Mess

Just like in computers, it would also help if you were to name the documents you store. This will help you find them quickly in case you need them again.

Once you receive a file, make sure to check it right away. This will help you label it. If you’re not sure of what it’s about or if you don’t have enough time to check it, ask the one who handed it over. Then, store it with related files.

If you can, you may also label your storage. Also, organize them by date. This will also help you find documents easier.

Scan Documents

The more documents you keep, the more storage you need. This also means that you may need to spend more on buying more storage and allocating more space in your office for the physical documents you decide to keep. Of course, this also means more paper in your office.

What you can do, though, is to utilize technology. Instead of storing physical copies of the documents you handle, consider scanning them. Store them in safe CLOUD storage and then dispose of the physical copies properly.

This will not only help you organize and free your office from clutter. This will also make your work easier in case you or your other employees need to retrieve old documents.

Consider CLOUD Storage

Speaking of technology, once you’ve organized your documents and have scanned the important ones, consider using modern storage solutions to deal with your newer documents.

With this, you will have bigger space to store your files while freeing your office from clutter and giving you more office space. Apart from that, you and other employees can enjoy access to it at any time of the day no matter where you are in the world. This will surely make your lives easier.

Keep Your Desk Clean

Once you’ve dealt with the old documents, don’t forget to maintain your desk. Just like in maintaining your home clean, it would also be better if you keep your desk clean as you go.

Sometimes, people tend to keep unnecessary documents just because they think they might need it someday, not knowing that it just adds clutter.

So, every time you receive a new document, deal with it right away. If it’s not important today, then it's likely irrelevant tomorrow. So, toss it before it adds clutter to your desk.

And before you leave the office, make sure to declutter your desk too. This way, you won’t end up again with piles of documents on your desk and you can start fresh every day, helping you become more productive and energetic throughout your shift.

The way your office space looks can affect how you function at work. So, as much as you can, manage every document you receive right away.