by Doreen Martel

Created on: June 05, 2009   Last Updated: January 29, 2012

Many people celebrated the "information age" by discussing how nice it would be to have less paper in their office. However, what was never taken into consideration was the number of people who are still living in an era where they feel that unless it's on paper, it doesn't exist. There are a myriad of things that can cause clutter in the office, paper being one of them. There are five tips to reduce clutter at the office that is caused by paper:

1. Don't ignore it - Clutter isn't going to go away. In fact, if you continue to ignore it, chances are it's only going to get worse! If you have files that are piling up on your desk (and beyond) put them away! It is usually most helpful to set aside some time each day to take care of all of your filing. This will at least begin to reduce clutter at the office.

2. Sort it out - For many people, paper is a necessity and not just an annoyance. Sort your papers by level of importance - do this groups that you can handle easily. For instance, you might have a pile that is for paper you have to save, paper that you have to read, paper that is questionable. Don't waste time or space making a "junk pile" just keep a wastebasket or shredder nearby and get rid of it.

3. Scan it - If you have papers that you are just unsure if you are going to need later, why not consider scanning it to a CD Rom and storing it. For many, this is a great answer. Make sure that as you name files of scanned papers, that you can identify them later. This is also a great solution for paper that you know you are going to need but, may not need the hard copies of. This is a great clutter-reducing technique as you've preserved your documents and reduced the space to store them.

4. Reduce Junk Mail - There are hundreds of ways we get on junk mail lists. You can take control of your junk mail by requesting your name be removed from mailing lists. There are number of stop junk mail services that are free and/or low cost. This will not occur overnight, but it can make a significant impact in reducing clutter at the office.

5. Be Sensible - Many of us have magazine subscriptions, newspaper subscriptions, and other professional subscriptions that we get on a monthly basis. Find out if they are available on-line. This is a great way to reduce clutter at the office. In addition, an on-line newsletter or magazine is the "green" way to go.

There are many causes of clutter at the office, paper being only one of them. However, these five ways to reduce clutter at the office caused by paper will help you keep your work area free of excess paper. For most people, taking the time to reduce clutter at the office will lead to greater productivity.

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