Increase Office Space By Minimizing Paper

To make your office appear larger and maximize the space available you sometimes need to take a step back and look at behaviors, rather than physical equipment. Reducing paper is one such example of a change you can make to your office that can have a big effect on how much space you really need. The behavioral change will, in turn, reduce the dependency on physical equipment.

Storage

Filing cabinets and bookshelves can take up a significant amount of floor space, and in a small office, space is at a premium. By reducing general paper usage, such as reading on screen instead of printing, digitizing invoices, receipts, statements, and other general paperwork, you can reduce or eliminate the need for so much storage. Also consider the length of time to retain documents and what relics from history you are keeping in those cabinets: perhaps you can cull some material that will never be used again?

Printers

Small Office Laser Printer

In general if you reduce your dependency on paper you should be able to reduce the number of printers required for your office. With a lower demand for printing you might be able to get away with a compact printer next purchase. Lesser printing also means less consumables such as copy paper and toner, which in turn means less running costs and less storage space needed to house spares.

Desk space

An indirect benefit of reducing general paper usage around the office is that people will not have so many physical files, papers or documents to keep close by. Large desks are no longer required when you only need enough space for the computer and one stack of files.

Bins and Recycling

Less paper usage will result in less rubbish or recycling. You will not need as many bins in or outside the office.

Stationery

Staplers, paperclips, folders, etc all take up space – typically in the stationery cupboard. With a lesser demand for paper you probably don’t need so many spares on hand. If you have shredders in the office you might also be able to eliminate them and free up floor space.

 

So how do you start reducing paper? In our next article we will detail some methods to get started.

The idea of a truly paperless office is outdated and in most (if not all) industries will never happen. There is something quite nice in the tangible feeling of paper, or the ability to draw ideas in freehand with a pen. However you can reduce paper usage and in turn, reduce a lot of the need for office furnishings, big and small. You will also save money and help save the environment. For more tips on minimizing paper use and making your office more eco-friendly, check out The Environmentally Friendly Office.