Ideas to Help Boost Work Productivity and Protect the Environment
Protecting The Environment In The Office
With reports of climate change and environmental destruction on the rise, everyone should do their part to protect the environment. While you may have switched from plastic bags to paper and done what you can to reduce your carbon footprint, can you say the same for your work area? Offices waste a lot of paper. If your employer doesn't seem to want to make climate control changing practices, then you can do it for them on your own. This article will go over a few ideas on how you can reduce the use of paper in your workspace to not only protect the environment but also increase your own productivity.
Whiteboards
One of the easiest and best ways that you can reduce paper usage in your office is by switching paper out with whiteboards. There are numerous types of whiteboards like a stickon whiteboard or smaller boards that can be easily utilized in any office space. The best things about these items, however, is that they can be utilized in many different ways.
For those who simply stick the board on the cubicle or wall of their work area, you can easily write down notes to yourself. Before, you might have used paper sticky notes that filled the space over your desk and computer. The stickiness would fade over time causing you to lose important notes. Sticky notes are a waste of paper and not as effective. Instead, you can use reusable dry erase sticky notes that can be used over and over again on your post it whiteboard.
A whiteboard is an easy place to store all of your notes in one area. You can make it as organized or as messy as you want, but whiteboards give you the ability to keep your notes as organized as possible. With your dry erase marker, you can quickly jot down notes and appointments as well as personal reminders in a single space that you can refer to whenever you need to.
Besides just the standard whiteboard, however, you can also find a whiteboard calendar. No doubt you've noticed how messy your print calendar can be. It's also made of paper, so it isn't a bad idea to get rid of it and be one less person who relies on paper products. A whiteboard calendar is perfect for those who find themselves having to frequently add appointments, edit meetings, and erase canceled activities every other day. Can you imagine the mess this would be on a paper calendar? With a whiteboard calendar, you simply erase the canceled appointment and you are left with a fresh white space instead. Finally, when it comes to the monthly change, you won't be wasting unnecessary paper. Instead, you can simply write in the new month and corresponding days on the calendar.
Digitize
Besides cool things for office like whiteboards, you can also choose to digitize much of your work. Instead of people mailing or faxing information, you can direct them to your email. In many cases, you can upload images and bar codes for your phone to easily scan. A lot of the uses for paper these days are no longer necessary in the age of the computer and its resultant technology. Utilize it to cut down on the use of paper.
Verbal Reminders
Memos are another waste of paper that many offices use. If you own the office, you may feel as though you're too busy to actually go speak with your employees. Don't fall into this fallacy. If you have an important reminder or task that you need to tell someone, then go to them yourself and inform them of it. This can be a great way, too, to encourage them on their good work. A bit of praise now and then is a great way to improve an employee's productivity.
If you have a memo that needs to be delivered to everyone, then either send it through an email or schedule a meeting. There isn't a reason to use paper when you can physically be the memo and keep everyone up to date on certain aspects.
Make the Change Today
Taking measures to protect the environment need to happen sooner rather than later. By following these simple steps, you can be well on your way to making your office paper free. You will save money, and the world around you will benefit.
With reports of climate change and environmental destruction on the rise, everyone should do their part to protect the environment. While you may have switched from plastic bags to paper and done what you can to reduce your carbon footprint, can you say the same for your work area? Offices waste a lot of paper. If your employer doesn't seem to want to make climate control changing practices, then you can do it for them on your own. This article will go over a few ideas on how you can reduce the use of paper in your workspace to not only protect the environment but also increase your own productivity.
Whiteboards
One of the easiest and best ways that you can reduce paper usage in your office is by switching paper out with whiteboards. There are numerous types of whiteboards like a stickon whiteboard or smaller boards that can be easily utilized in any office space. The best things about these items, however, is that they can be utilized in many different ways.
For those who simply stick the board on the cubicle or wall of their work area, you can easily write down notes to yourself. Before, you might have used paper sticky notes that filled the space over your desk and computer. The stickiness would fade over time causing you to lose important notes. Sticky notes are a waste of paper and not as effective. Instead, you can use reusable dry erase sticky notes that can be used over and over again on your post it whiteboard.
A whiteboard is an easy place to store all of your notes in one area. You can make it as organized or as messy as you want, but whiteboards give you the ability to keep your notes as organized as possible. With your dry erase marker, you can quickly jot down notes and appointments as well as personal reminders in a single space that you can refer to whenever you need to.
Besides just the standard whiteboard, however, you can also find a whiteboard calendar. No doubt you've noticed how messy your print calendar can be. It's also made of paper, so it isn't a bad idea to get rid of it and be one less person who relies on paper products. A whiteboard calendar is perfect for those who find themselves having to frequently add appointments, edit meetings, and erase canceled activities every other day. Can you imagine the mess this would be on a paper calendar? With a whiteboard calendar, you simply erase the canceled appointment and you are left with a fresh white space instead. Finally, when it comes to the monthly change, you won't be wasting unnecessary paper. Instead, you can simply write in the new month and corresponding days on the calendar.
Digitize
Besides cool things for office like whiteboards, you can also choose to digitize much of your work. Instead of people mailing or faxing information, you can direct them to your email. In many cases, you can upload images and bar codes for your phone to easily scan. A lot of the uses for paper these days are no longer necessary in the age of the computer and its resultant technology. Utilize it to cut down on the use of paper.
Verbal Reminders
Memos are another waste of paper that many offices use. If you own the office, you may feel as though you're too busy to actually go speak with your employees. Don't fall into this fallacy. If you have an important reminder or task that you need to tell someone, then go to them yourself and inform them of it. This can be a great way, too, to encourage them on their good work. A bit of praise now and then is a great way to improve an employee's productivity.
If you have a memo that needs to be delivered to everyone, then either send it through an email or schedule a meeting. There isn't a reason to use paper when you can physically be the memo and keep everyone up to date on certain aspects.
Make the Change Today
Taking measures to protect the environment need to happen sooner rather than later. By following these simple steps, you can be well on your way to making your office paper free. You will save money, and the world around you will benefit.