While a great deal of our office management has become computerized, there is still a need to deal with paper in our day to day tasks. There are documents that you need to have a hard copy of, sticky notes for reminders, and other paper items that often sit on your desk for days. Without essential paper management tools, they can leave your desks looking cluttered and messy. They can also make it difficult to find what you need when you need it. One of the things you can do to become more productive with just a few minutes of organization each day, is keep your desk neat and organized. When you need a file, you will be able to find it more easily and not have to waste time searching through piles of folders or papers. When you clean up at the end of the day or periodically throughout the day, you will have a place to put everything if you have the proper paper management tools. Here are some of the paper management storage tools that you can use to increase efficiency of your work day
File Organizers
There are several different kinds of file organizers that can help you store papers of file folders on your desk and within easy reach. The most common kind of file organizers are horizontal or vertical file organizers that sit right on your desk and have several slots to hold files. Most of them have between 3-5 slots. If you label each slot you know what kind of files should be stored there. When you look for these files, they are easier to find. If you prefer to keep less items on your desk you can also get wall mounted file organizers. These hand on the wall beside your desk, within reach and can store several file folders in each pocket. The take up very little room and make it easy for you to keep the files that you need within reach. Large desk storage organizers might be necessary if you have a large amount of folders to keep close by. These file organizers stand vertically and horizontally on the desk. A large desk and wall space are necessary for these. They can have slots for 30 or more files. Although they can be bulky, they can be very effective if you label what each slot contains and use it on a regular basis. File folder organizers come in a variety of styles and colours. This makes it easy for you to choose a style that suits your office space and you can even personalize it with your color choices. You can also choose between letter sized or legal sized file storage solutions. When you are using file folder storage solutions to keep your desk tidy, keep in mind that you should try to keep all of your files in them. You should have a filing cabinet to keep files in that are not immediately in use. Try to use your desk or wall file storage only for the most current projects that you are using. These should be folders that you need to have access to on a day to day basis. If you minimize the files and papers that you keep on your desk, you will find that it is a lot easier to find what you need when you are looking for it. It will also make it easier for you to keep your desk tidy throughout the day.
Bulletin Boards and Magnetic Boards
If you are the type of person that jots down notes to remind yourself of things and then, almost immediately loses those notes, you can benefit from a bulletin board or a magnet board. These are usually hung on the wall near your desk, within reach of where you sit. You can jot down notes of phone calls and reminders and then either pin them to the bulletin board or use a magnet to hold them in place. Keep in mind that bulletin boards and magnet boards should be used to hold temporary information. Sort through the things you have put on your boards at least once a week and get rid of anything that is not relevant. Make sure that it is neat and tidy so that you can actually see the items you have put there. You can organize it, just as you would organize anything else. Use different sections of your boards for different types of information.
Drawer Storage
There will be some paper items that you do not need to keep on your desk at all times and you want to store them in a drawer instead. Paper management tools for drawers are ideal for this. They help you keep the insides of your drawers neat and make it easy to find what you are looking for. Use different shapes of desk drawer organizers to hold notebooks, sticky notes, and other miscellaneous sizes of paper items. Paper management is essential for an efficient office space. You will find with the right tools, you will be able to keep the paper and folders that you need handy at all times and your desk will stay clean and organized. You can write reminder notes to yourself, keep schedules handy, and never have to worry about clutter again. You can even personalize your workspace by choosing different styles of paper management systems.