As ‘Tidying Up’ star Marie Kondo’s decluttering crusade on Netflix continues to inspire the nation to keep organised, when it comes to the workplace it seems UK office workers aren’t quite there yet.

To look more closely at organisation in the workplace, Bankers Box by Fellowes surveyed 1,250 office workers to see what habits are slowing us down.

We’ve all been known to put off the odd task from time to time, but we were surprised to find that almost two thirds (59%) of office workers said they regularly procrastinate over organisational tasks.

We also found that less than half of those questioned (45%) tidy their desk daily, meaning 55% don’t. Ironically, two-thirds (63%) said it bothered them when their colleague’s desks are messy and even one in ten people admitted to keeping documents on their desks for up to two years.

But perhaps the most shocking was that despite our findings, nearly all of us (94%) understand that being organised in the office makes us more productive. So much so that 61% claimed staying on top of our organisation makes us a better worker.

Our study clearly shows how offices across the country are crying out for better organisation as years of paperwork and records pile up, making it difficult to focus and find important information. Many office workers still aren’t regularly organising their workspace, which our research shows is to the detriment of productivity and success.

Fellowes have put together a list of top tips to keep your workplace tidy and clutter-free. It’ll make your mind feel clearer and will no doubt improve your productivity.

Here are five ways to organise your office:

Sort through your papers: Put all the loose papers you have together on your desk, then take just fifteen minutes to sort through each one, deciding if it’s active, semi-active, archivable or disposable.

Everything semi-active or not needed to hand can be archived and should be stored in your storage system. Anything you don’t need should be disposed of correctly, making sure to shred anything confidential.

Find storage that works: Start organising your workspace by investing in a good storage system. As you clear your desk, knowing where your documents are will help you save time searching for them in the future and boost your productivity.

Create a Records Management System: This can be used for any files you have on your desk that you use on a more regular basis. By sorting into a clear system, papers can be located easily, and you can free up desk space (and feel better for it!).

Decide between storage units, transfer files and storage boxes, depending on how much space you have and how often you need access.

Organise office objects: After your paper documents are sorted, move on to miscellaneous and sentimental items. Firstly, any office equipment you use daily should be kept somewhere the whole office has easy access to.

Other office equipment can be stored elsewhere to free up desk space and allow more space for any sentimental items like photos you want to keep, without feeling too cluttered.

Stick to your new rules: Once you’ve put all this time into organising your desk, make sure you don't return to old habits.

By dedicating just five minutes at the end of your day, you can keep your systems working and keep your documents in order. It’s also worth planning when the next tidy session should be, to ensure you stay on top of all documents and everything is stored correctly.

A good filing and storage system enables you to be more productive and organised– whatever kind of business you work for. Not only will it help you keep your desk clear and tidy, but you’ll also find it much easier to locate important information quickly.

Find out more at www.bankersbox.com.

Darryl Brunt is country head for Fellowes UK & Ireland.