8 Easy Hacks for Organising Books and Paper

Never lose a minute’s productivity again in the work environment as a result of chaos. Keeping it all together and get the most of your workday with these eight easy hacks to organise books and paper. 

 The heaps of paper that stack up can get messy and annoying with important papers getting lost when it comes to paying bills or when one is searching for documents. 

Eight easy hacks to organise those books and papers  

• Choose colour-coded files if you still use hard copies, and if you use files on your PC – then colour code these for each subject and everyone on your team. If each person in the office has a colour for his or her work, then identifying files this way makes for an easy retrieval of essential information as and when required 

Another cool idea is to name files by date and to organise your information this way. Spreadsheets are useful as are software options. By installing this method, it is easy to keep abreast on what must be done more urgently and what is less urgent. It is as important to be electronically organised as it is to be organised physically.  

• Your mobile device is now your best friend – take pics of schedules, important information and keep it in your notebook or on your calendar on your phone or PC. Keep your desk free of papers – from calendars to menus 

• Bills in the post are a thing of the past – going paperless with electronic bills is the only way to keep abreast of your accounts and by doing so, paper is kept to a minimum. Get all your magazine subscriptions electronically and cancel the paper copy (chances are, you will get a rebate for paperless mags and newspapers) 

• Green should be on everyone’s list – transform anything from notices to leaflets into something useful. Recycle absolutely every piece of paper. Cut up old pamphlets and use as notepaper or simply donate to a recycling depot 

• If you struggle with sentimental feelings (photos, drawings your kids do, birthday cards) then place these in paper bins and sift through them every couple of weeks and months – time is a great leveler for sentimentality 

• Binders are brilliant for filing any paperwork that creeps in – keep one binder for each person in the office making it easy to find anything on hard copy easily 

• Make use of magazine racks or hanging systems to take care of any unattractive papers that tend to gather on counter tops and desks 

• Set aside a book and paper purge day once a month – you only need a couple of hours – and rid yourself of any unnecessary papers gathering dust in and around the work environment or even your home. Make a date and put in on your calendar to ensure you are fully committed to this task 

Extra files that you don’t need to access every day can be stored in self-storage units away from your office. With a wide range of sizes, a storage unit can handle files, file cabinets and book collections that have become too large for your office and clutter up space.