The Top 6 Excuses for Clutter and Disorganisation in Your Office

I've got to get organized.

There is no seasonal limit on this intention. It is one of the top two resolutions every new year. It surfaces again at tax time in April, and then continues to spring up throughout the rest of the year, often remaining an elusive goal.

Why is it that some people seem to be able to work in an organised state, while others continually struggle to achieve this state? If you have been hoping to make changes so that you can more easily cope with the daily challenges you face, you might want to examine the excuses that could keep you from changing your situation.

There are six common excuses for not actually achieving the organised state that you would really like reach:

1. "I do not have time."

Organisation often gets set aside because everything else appears to be a higher priority. Yet research shows the average business person is wasting over one hour per day due to disorganisation; that’s more than six weeks per year! Scheduling even one day to creating effective systems in your office will help you to be better at daily time management. You will also gain back those hours spent within two weeks, and you will be working ahead for the rest of the year.

2. "There is no space to put everything."

In this situation, consider two possibilities:

a) You are missing some areas that would make good storage.
If all horizontal surfaces are covered, think vertical. What types of shelves could be added above your current furniture to give more space?
Within your existing shelf space, could you subdivide that with stack trays or cubes to fill out the area?

b) You are keeping more than you need.
In the case of business information, is it something you could easily find elsewhere, like the internet or in an electronic document?

In the case of clutter, only keep the things that are useful or that you really enjoy. Not everything has to be displayed.

3. "It will be disorganised again next week."

That simply means that you have not truly created a system that works. There is a difference between cleaning up and developing effective processes for everyday activities. With an effective, productive system, you know where every incoming item goes, and no task or deadline gets overlooked.

4. "This is not all my stuff."

Did you take over an office where the file drawers were already full? You never cleared them out, so now your things remain stacked. Take the old material out and box it, using the space for your current work.

5. "It might come in handy some day."

How many packets of ketchup, soy sauce, and plastic spoons do you need in your "food" drawer? In addition, look around and see if you have more supplies than you could possibly use in the next year. Limit yourself to what you actually use, and return the extras to the supply room.

6. "I do not know where to start."

Some people simply do not have the training or intrinsic ability to develop a productive space by themselves. Find a friend who can help, and then you can trade off in another area where you have a given skill, or hire a time management consultant who specialises in productive spaces and processes. Do not drag out the process. Get organised as quickly as possible and move on to the things that allow you to achieve your priorities, like growing your business.

Once you eliminate your excuses, schedule the time to get organised on your calendar. You will quickly gain back the hours spent, and the cost in time or dollars becomes an investment rather than an expense. It is the first step to improving time management skills, increasing productivity, feeling in control, and lowering daily stress.