Office clutter can hurt our productivity. Many of us know this, but most of us still have to deal with clutter daily. From scheduling maintenance tasks to hiring document scanning services, here are 8 things you can do to get rid of clutter in your office once and for all.

1. Schedule maintenance tasks

To get rid of clutter and make sure it never returns, you will have to add some maintenance tasks to your daily and weekly schedule. Even if you only take 5 minutes each day to deal with clutter, it will make a huge difference in your daily organization.

2. Get rid of anything you are not using

One of the most important things you can do to get rid of office clutter is throw everything you don’t need in your trash can or in your recycling bin. It’s time to get rid of those old newspapers, and to only keep the pens you know still work.

3. Organize your schedule

Instead of keeping a pile of documents you need to fill out on top of your desk, organize your schedule with reminders for each task that needs your attention. Instead of keeping event flyers and business cards with notes on them, add important events to your schedule.

4. Organize the documents on your computer

Your computer desktop might be cluttered as well. Take a moment to organize the documents and files you have put on your desktop, so it will be easier for you to find what you are looking for, when you need to use it.

5. Find a place for every item

Now that you have gotten rid of anything that was useless, make sure you find a permanent place for each item you use regularly. This way, you won’t let these items pile up on your desk just because you have no idea where you should store them.

6. Make sure your cables are out of the way

The cables of your computer, keyboard, printer, and telephone should be bundled together if possible, and kept out of the way. You don’t want them to get all tangled up, you don’t want to see them, and most importantly, you don’t want to trip on them.

7. Store the important documents you are not using everyday

Most office spaces are far from being paperless. If an important part of your office clutter consists of documents that you don’t use everyday, but that you can’t throw away, store them in boxes or in a file cabinet. Scanning those documents to keep only the digital versions is a good option.

8. Hire document scanning services

If you would like to keep only digital versions of your important documents, hiring document scanning services is a good idea. Document scanning services will scan your documents, and convert them to electronic documents that will be easier for you to manage, while getting rid of the clutter.