Step 0 Take a ‘before’ picture!
Step 1 What is your goal?
How do you want the space to work for you? What is your workflow? How and when do you move in and out of the room? Who else uses the room?
Step 2 Do a quick surface pass.
Throw out rubbish and broken stuff and boxes – all the obvious stuff that is getting in your way. Put the dishes in the kitchen!
Step 3 Make a plan to meet your goal.
What is going to go where? Is any rearranging needed?
Step 4 Group all essential stuff together.
Essential means passports, birth certificates, car registration etc. Have one clear plastic wallet for each family member, one for house & car and one for business stuff. Make sure business and personal are separate. Put these items in a safe, easily accessible place, but not in your working space, as these items are not needed everyday.
Step 4 Set up a document processing system.
Create an in-box and ‘to file’ box. Designate places for receipts. Label all boxes and colour code files. Set up bins for rubbish, recycling, and shredding.
Step 5 What must you to keep to be in compliance?
Personal: HMRC says ‘You should keep your records for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year the tax return is for.’
Business: HMRC stipulates that ‘You must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year.‘
After you do your taxes each year, box up what you must save. These items can go into the garage or the attic. Throw out or shred the rest. Every year, you shred the contents of the oldest box.
Step 6 Optimize your technology.
Get machines off your desk and move them onto the floor or under your desk. Tidy up cables with cable ties. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and enough monitors to work effectively and make sure they are at the right height for your working style – and your back! Set up a charging station for your devices. Label extra cables and other technical gizmos and put these in clear zippered bags or in drawers.
Step 7 Make a memory box.
Precious stuff collects in offices. This can be reviewed every year after you sort out your taxes. Keep it to one box.
Step 8 Make your space workable.
Have things close to hand that you need. Keep what you use all the time close to where you use them. Get equipment for organising: for example, put up a shelf near your desk, get caddies or containers for small items, put in drawer dividers. Hang personal or sentimental items on the wall – get them off working surfaces like your desk. Get some greenery, like a flowering plant and put it on a window sill, not your desk.
Step 9 Setup a reminder system.
This can be on white boards or through software. Make a weekly appointment in your calendar to attend to your office paperwork.
Step 10 Document your work.
Take an ‘after’ photo of your space.
Step 11 Put it away.
Now that you have a system and a place for everything, make sure that you put things away immediately. Do not just plonk things down when you come into the room!