We are jumping right in the “trending” bandwagon called KonMari! After Netflix released the eight-episode series, a huge amount of praise (and bash) was received by the world-renowned tidying expert, Mari Kondo.
I’ve carefully rummaged and turned our apartment upside down for a week, checking each item if it still “sparks joy”. Is it difficult? Yes of course! Is it worth it? Definitely! The sight of clear countertops, tables, and more “living space” makes staying at home more enjoyable. Moving forward, of course, If you have less, you’ll clean less. And it feels right to start your year clean and organize.
Now, the question is, is it possible to apply the KonMari method in your business, especially when it seemed that the place sparks stress than joy? The answer depends on your work personality. If you thrive best in a cluttered work station, then this is not for you. And, we are not against that! But, if you are in dire need of an organization or your work station seems to cause stress, then it is about time that you apply the KonMari method in your work as well. Regardless if you have a huge desk, a home office or a shared working table, there is always a way to keep your business organized and makes you look forward to spending time there and finish what you do best. The golden rule is when your workspace is free from clutter, it is easier to get things done and find things since everything has their own place.
Here are some tips to help you get organized:
Desk
Let’s start with the simplest and most useful part, your desk. Your desk area is where you do all the work and spend almost all your work time here. Think what are the main essentials that you use, those items should stay on your desk, desk drawer or anywhere as long as it is within reach. Put printing supplies together, writing or pens together, notebooks together, etc. for every item needs a proper place or a “home”. Here some ideas that should be on your desk:
- Computer/Laptop (of course)
- Pens
- Sticky Notes
- Planner
- Paper Clips/Binder Clips
- Stapler
- Plants (if you have one, to soothe those trembling nerves sometimes)
File Cabinet/Area
If you have a file cabinet or just a file area, take out all of it. Categorize each file, combine all the receipts, invoices, bills, and other files that you have. After categorizing each type, classify it by month and/or year. Allocate folder or binder for each file/ year, it depends on what type of files you have and what works for you. Just make sure that you can easily find the file when you need it. In our case, since one of our services is consulting, we organize files by companies. One cabinet drawer for each company and inside that drawer is a folder for different types of documents such as receipt folder, invoice folder, requirements folder, etc. Know how long you should keep documents. Some documents don’t matter after a few years, you can throw that out. Better yet, go paperless as much as possible. A lot of companies/establishment are offering electronic invoices nowadays.
Digital Files (Emails, saved files, etc.)
Of course, when we say decluttering, this also includes the horrific digital files. So why it is important to declutter your computer too? Here are the reasons:
- It makes your computer slow
- You can’t find some files when you need it
Go through each file whether it be documents, pictures, videos, etc. Get rid everything that you don’t need anymore and delete duplicate files. Create a folder for each file.
For emails, sort it out like how you would sort through your file cabinet. You can label folders either for clients, urgent tasks, project names or even the name of the companies that you are working with. Check what suits you best. Be mindful of course on which email you need to save for record-keeping even if it doesn’t spark joy. To make it easier, think in terms of past, present, and future. Is this email thread done? Are you still waiting for answers or is it still pending? Do you need it for future reference?
Final thought:
The new year is always full of hope and inspiration. Let’s top it up a notch more by making our workspace more enjoyable. And hopefully, with the methods that we have shared, we hope that you’ll be inspired and help you start your year right! Make sure to check our previous posts as well for more advice especially if you need assistance in web design, marketing, and business related matters.
