Clutter harms productivity. While digital technology has helped to greatly reduce physical clutter in the workplace by eliminating paper files and stationery, it has not completely got rid of clutter once and for all. In fact, a lot of clutter has gone digital – taking the form of overflowing email inboxes, messy document filing systems and software subscription overload. This clutter may not be visible to visitors, but you and your team still know it’s there, and it could be having a negative impact on your business. Here are some tips on how you can digitally declutter your workspace to help make things more organised and efficient.
Streamline your software
Using too many different types of applications from different software providers can lead to expensive subscription fees and information spread out all over the place. This is why a growing number of businesses are switching to all-in-one software providers like Zoho, Engagebay and HubSpot. Streamlining your software can often allow you to access cheaper subscription deals while also being able to easily move data between different programs. There are companies that can help you with Zoho implementation plans or HubSpot migration if you want to switch to one of these all-in-one software providers.
Implement a document management system
A document management system is a protocol for helping organize and name folders and files. Without such a system in place, documents can end up being stored all over the place with file names that may not be consistent or obvious. How you decide to organize your files is up to you – the most common methods are alphabetical and by date, however you may find that there are more effective labels that you can use.
Organize your inbox
Introducing a sorting system for emails can help you to prioritize which emails need to be addressed now and which can be delayed. A popular solution is the four folder system, which organizes emails into the following categories: inbox, follow-ups, actions, file. Some people find that different systems are more efficient for their business, such as filing emails according to when you need to respond to them (i.e ‘respond today’, ‘respond this week’).
Avoid unnecessary data storage
While being able to store all kinds of data can be useful, it’s possible to hoard huge amounts of data that you don’t need. This can include data on past customers or employees that you no longer need, or unnecessary personal details of customers that you have no real use for. It’s also important to avoid storing masses of duplicate data – unless you’re storing it as a back-up, there’s no reason to have loads of duplicate files.
Embrace automation
So many time-consuming digital tasks can be automated nowadays – including data entry, reminder emails, budget forecasts and stock counts. Make sure that you’re not wasting time carrying out tasks that could be carried out automatically. By investing the time upfront to explore automation tools and set up automated processes, you can save huge amounts of time in the long run.
