Green IT Tips for the office?

Any tips for organizing a messy office space?

• Okay, I'm working at my mom's office over Christmas break. I helped out over summer, and the last thing I never got to finish was cleaning out the administration office upstairs. It's a mess. I organize all the time (OCD, yes), but this is so much bigger than anything I've attempted. It's about 40 by 30 feet, I'm approximating. There are three rows of huge filing cabinets stuffed to the brim with documents, and in the back are decorations and supplies. In the front are more supplies and three desks, only two of which are being used. We have storage for old files, but even storage is a mess. I don't know where to start. I have 10 working days to do this, and about 10 hours a day. I really want to get this done, but I'm not sure the most effective way to approach it. Usually I just lay everything out, but there's way too much stuff to lay out, and not enough room. And I can't really throw anything away without checking with my boss... and asking her each and every paper would be quite tenuous. Any ideas?

• Answer:

  I don't know the nature of the business where you are working but it seems that a lot of the files in the cabinets could be maintained with the basic information. The majority of the records should be maintained as computers. Why else do we use computers? Unfortunately, it would require you asking someone about tossing unnecessary records. Shelves should be neatly organized with office supplies. Use lids of boxes (so things dont get scattered around) to store tape, staples, paper clips etc., group things together. You might need to bring in some baggies for some miscellaneous items. Banker boxes should be ordered at the end of each year so old files can be neatly archived. Old boxes can be stored more out of sight - out of mind but more recent years may need to be accessible.