To do your job to the best of your ability, it is important to have a clean and well-organized workspace.

Messy desks, cluttered with stacks of files and paper, and other distractions like loud noise, regular passing foot traffic and dim lighting are not conducive to fostering creativity and productivity. 

Therefore, you should take some time to set up your office desk or workstation at home to make sure you can work as effectively as possible.

But how exactly do you do that?

Here are seven things you can do to organize your workspace in a way that boosts your efficiency.

1. Do a thorough deep clean

When was the last time you gave your desk a thorough, deep clean?

Well according to this study from Bond University, it is something you should do regularly. That is because desks that are dirty and cluttered can have negative effects on our ability to make decisions, as well as our general emotional and cognitive behaviour.

For this reason, before organising your workspace, it is a good idea to take everything off your desk and thoroughly sanitize and deep clean it until it looks pristine. Doing this will provide a good starting point to move on to the next step.

2. Keep Essentials within easy reach

For every desk job, there are certain supplies and apparatus that you need to use regularly throughout the day. These may include pens, a ruler, post-it notes, printer paper, scissors, tape and a stapler.

Subsequently, when setting up your workspace, you should keep these items within easy reach. That way, you can seamlessly use them without having to break your workflow by getting off your chair to find them.

3. Use folders and organisers

On any given day, there is a good chance that you will be working on multiple projects - the paperwork of which you will need to access at the drop of a hat. Therefore, to avoid having important files and bits of paper lying over your desk in an unorganised manner, it is a good idea to store them in box folders, trays and desk draw organisers.

These storage solutions allow you to keep your paperwork in a strategic order, which will make working on them much easier. Just make sure you keep the most frequently used and important documents closest to you.

4. Organize your cables, chargers and wires

If your workspace has a phone, computer, printer, scanner and other IT equipment, there is a good chance you will have plenty of wires protruding out of them.

For this reason, you should use a desk organizer specifically meant for chargers, leads and cables to keep them tidy and organised.

The mess these wires create can be a source of distraction and a safety hazard. So, it is good to keep them under control. If you are looking for new office-friendly chargers, leads and cables, TechXpress has some good options.

5. Create a robust filing system

As well as the ‘current’ documents you need to store in folders on your desk, you’ll no doubt have lots of other paperwork you might have to refer to later.

It is a good idea to keep a filing cabinet within your office space. Just make sure you label each folder, as this will make it easier for you to find what you are looking for when you need it.

6. Embrace the free wall space

When setting up your workspace, don’t forget to embrace the free space on the wall.

In this piece of prime vertical space, you can install a whiteboard, put up a calendar or pin up some important notes or papers on a corkboard. All of which can help with your planning, creativity and daily workflow.

7. Use open shelving

For those who like to take a minimalist approach to their desks, installing one big open shelving unit into your workspace is another terrific way to create a better workflow.

Such a structure provides a central and visible place for you to store items like printer ink, paper, folders, books, pens and important files. While you might need to give it a dust or a wipe down regularly, it provides a good way to keep your work desk clean and clear.