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3 Steps on How to Purge at Work Before Moving

3 Steps on How to Purge at Work Before Moving

How to Purge at Work Before Moving

Office moves are stressful, requiring advanced planning, strategic packing and coordinating with employees. A successful move, however, can be readily achieved by packing and relocating less stuff. Here are three effective tactics to help you purge at work before the big moving day.

The Benefits of Downsizing Before Moving

Downsizing is one reason many business owners shift to a smaller office space. Rent is usually cheaper in an office with less square feet. The cost of utilities is likewise less expensive. Property taxes decrease in proportion to the smaller-sized building. Less furniture and supplies are also needed.

Reducing the number of items to be moved is critical when moving to a smaller office space. Imagine dragging a five-foot executive desk from a large office into one more restricted in size. In such cases, donating or selling the executive desk and opting for less extravagant furniture is practical.

Paper files, too, consume large amounts of office or storage space. The massive files and piles of paperwork contribute to a chaotic office environment. It makes sense to reduce the clutter of paper to focus on the work at hand and avoid drowning in a flood of files.

The advantages of relocating to an office with less stuff are clear. However, additional benefits help the business owner relocate seamlessly. An office move is simply cheaper when moving crews are obliged to pack, load and transport fewer office belongings.

For example, relocating a 3000-square foot office with huge amounts of files and furniture will cost an average of $1500 to $9000. Moving a 10,000 square foot office space runs from $5000 to $30,000. But moving fewer items, such as in a 1500 square foot space, costs $750 to $4500.

By eliminating surplus supplies, files, furniture and other office goods, a relocation will be significantly more cost-effective. This is mainly because moving quotes are based on the length of time it takes to load the truck, the expected difficulty, and the number of moving personnel.

Furthermore, the level of stress on moving day is drastically reduced when transporting less office goods to the new space. At the destination, employees have fewer boxes to sort through and unpack. Less furniture means less reassembly time is required upon arrival.

1. Evaluate Office GoodsOffice Decor and Supplies

How do employees declutter at work before moving day? The first step is to evaluate the necessity of each item in the office. If an item has not been utilized in the last six months and using it in the next six months is unlikely, consider donating or selling it.

Remember that holding on to items that may (but not definitely) have some use left in them does not help employees move toward their goal of purging the workspace. Rather, eliminate low-cost items that can be easily replaced, if needed, in the new work environment.

2. Digitize Paperwork

Decluttering requires organizing the filing system if the office still utilizes paper files. Organization may be accomplished via date, subject matter, or type of document. Better yet is to eliminate unnecessary paperwork altogether—the bonus is that an uncluttered office helps boost productivity.

Instead of packing up the endless paperwork and files, consider making use of advancements in technology. Paperless offices are good for the environment. Plus, electronic documents are easier to access, increase security, reduce paper supply costs, and help to decrease human error.

Store paperwork using cloud-based applications rather than holding on to mountains of physical documents. Start invoicing electronically and sending statements virtually. Use scanning apps and document management software. At the end of the paper purging process, recycle the inessential physical documents.

3. Sell, Donate or Recycle Furniture

Reconsider relocating outdated, unused, or broken office furniture. Many business owners simply replace old furniture once they arrive at their new destination. Getting rid of bulky furniture is a large project, but three options are ideal for properly disposing the office furniture.

Sell desirable office goods to third-party companies. These companies remove the furniture and pay a lump sum. When selling, evaluate the furniture quantity, condition, and age. Sometimes products may not be in demand, which leads to the second option of donating.

A range of companies accept surplus office furniture and give them to schools and charities. These companies manage the labor and logistics of handling the donated goods. The tax write-off for the office furniture donations can be attractive to business owners.

If the furniture is unusable in its current condition, recycle or dispose of it. Local recycling centers will separate the items into metals, plastics, and timbers. Recycling helps to conserve natural resources, while helping office managers achieve their goal of purging the workspace.

A stress-free office move takes long-range planning. Smaller offices may require only three months of preparation time; medium to large offices may demand at least six months of planning. Purging the workplace, however, can be gradually done in daily increments of 15 minutes or more.

Work with a Professional Commercial MoverShipping Out Old Moving Boxes - Chicago Office Movers

If plans for relocating are on the horizon, you will benefit from the assistance of professional packing crews from Chicago Office Movers. Each of our packers is licensed and insured. We are experienced and trained, so your office belongings reach their destination safely and securely.

Chicago Office Movers specializes in commercial moving. Local businesses place full trust in our professionalism, reliability, and reputation for making office transitions as smooth as possible. We label all boxes, provide an inventory of packed belongings, and unpack the items at the destination.

Relocation is an integral part of our comprehensive commercial moving services. Small and large companies benefit from our free estimates, licensed and background checked moving crews, assistance with planning and executing the corporate relocation, insurance contracts and long- and short-term storage options.

Our professionals are experienced in packing and transporting a wide range of office goods, from furniture to IT systems. Choose Chicago Office Movers for all your commercial packing, storage and relocation needs. Based in Chicago, we are available to help you move locally, long distance or internationally.

Get a Free Estimate

Give us a call at 312-244-2246 or fill out a contact form for a free estimate on your next commercial move.

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10 Tips for Decluttering Your Office Before Moving

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Having a cluttered working space can significantly impact productivity and stress levels. When everything is scattered in piles, nothing is prioritized, and you feel pressured to get everything done at once, it can be hard to get anything done.

Add moving into the mixture and things get much more complicated. Finding a moving company, packing, coordinating with employees, and notifying contacts of the address change are only a few steps in the moving process. BUT there are some ways to make this process a little less stressful and a big part of that is decluttering. While it can take some time to sift through everything in your working space, doing this will not only save a lot of time and money during the moving process, but help you to be more efficient and productive in the long run.

Check out these 10 tips for decluttering your office before moving:

1. Start with Nothing

One of the most common ways people declutter is starting with their cluttered space and removing things. But this doesn’t often work because you still end up with a lot of stuff.

Instead, try clearing everything from your space and then adding items you need a little at a time. This means clearing out the top of your desk and drawers, putting them in a box, and start working. When you need something, grab it from the box, and give it a home on your desk. After a few days, you will find what you really need vs. what is “nice to have,” making it easy to get rid of the unnecessary items.

2. Consider What You Really Need

If you feel a little uncomfortable about starting from scratch, you can also think about what you really need at your desk and what can be donated or thrown away. Did you know that we clutter because we think everything is important. When going through your belongings, think “Do I really need this item? Is it still usable? Am I keeping because I really need it or I might need it?”

One way to think about it is if you don’t remember that it was there, you probably don’t need it. But after answering the questions above, you should have a good idea of what to do with the items – even if you don’t like the real answer.

3. Organize by Priority

After figuring out which items to keep and get rid of, next is deciding where to put the items you do want. This is important since you will want quick and easy access for the items you use the most. If your desk has drawers, organize them in the order of importance, starting with the closest drawer and working your way down.

If you use a lot of paper, use the left-to-right method. When work comes in, keep it on the left, moving it toward the middle as you work on it, and shift it to the right once it’s completed. This way, you and others will easily know what is done and what you have to do for the day. It will also be clear for the tasks to be completed next.

It’s normal for clutter to start building again after decluttering, but just remember to keep up with the flow of paperwork and not to let that or other items pile up in your working space again.

4. Attack the Hoard of Cables

Especially if you have a complex server, multiple computers, not to mention charging cables, this can quickly turn into a chaotic mess. But there are some simple tricks to tame the hoard. It may sound strange, but attach rain gutters to the bottom of the desk to keep them off the surface. You can also look into cable boxes for an efficient way to hide everything.

5. Identify the Most Cluttered Spots

If you look at your working space at a distance, you may not find the cluttered spots. But you might be surprised that if you took a picture, you might find them easily. Take a few pictures with your phone and try it out.

6. Expand Your Working Space

If you really have a lot of important stuff, you may want to consider enlarging your work space (or invest in extra storage space). But in terms of enlarging the space, there are a few cost-effective ways to do it rather than buying a brand new desk.

If you have a small office space, think vertically instead of horizontally. Some ways include raising your monitor and mounting shelves to the wall, making use of every inch at your desk. As long as everything stays organized, this is a good solution for items that just cannot be thrown out.

7. Use Hidden Areas

If you don’t care to use traditional shelving, you may want to use pegboards for hiding cables, routers, and other equipment behind your desk.

You can also hide things on the back of your monitor or use clips and magnets to mount papers and supplies to the wall. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish.

8. Designate a Spot for Everything

Everything you need on your desk should have a home in which it fits neatly next to everything else. If they don’t, then the whole desk becomes a home for everything.

If you’re having a difficult time organizing, you can use the breadbox test to make things easier: if it’s smaller than a breadbox, put it away in a canister or drawer.

9. Clean Off Your Desk Every Evening

Regardless of how clean you keep your workspace, it’s normal for it to get messy throughout the day. This is okay because you’re working and being productive. But when things are not cleaned up regularly, the working space will become messy over time.

To prevent this from happening, clean off the desk at the end of the day everyday. Taking 5 – 10 minutes each day to straighten things up is a lot easier than tackling large messes every few months. You will even feel more motivated to come into work every day knowing you have a clean desk.

10. Don’t Overdo It

While everyone needs a clean, organized working space, you can overdo it. Becoming obsessive with maintaining a clean working space can result in wasted time that could have been spent working. A good rule of thumb is to think that if something wasn’t wasting your time in the first place, there’s no need to organize.

Recognize when it looks “good enough” and when it’s time to stop worrying about decluttering and get back to work. Keeping your working space spotless can, in fact, make an impact on your productivity. You may even forget why you started organizing in the first place: to be more productive and efficient at work.

Decluttering Before Moving

Moving is a great time to declutter since there will be less items to move after you’re done. While it does take extra time to go through and organize your belongings, it will be well worth the investment instead of spending extra time to move junk you don’t really need.

Need Extra Help?Chicago-Office-Movers-Logo-Larger-3-14-17

If you’re running particularly short on time before moving, Chicago Office Movers offer professional decluttering services as an add on service to the move. As a full service moving company, we can also handle a number of other tasks to help you save time, including decommissioning, shredding, furniture assembly, move management, and more.

Moving everything from warehouses to libraries, you can count on us to move your business safely and efficiently. Our professionals are trained, insured, background-checked, and experienced to pack, move, assemble furniture, and provide any other service for which you might need.

Free Estimate

For more information, or to request a free estimate, contact Chicago Office Movers at 312-244-2246.

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