Having an office space is great, whether it’s a designed space at home or at your company’s headquarters. However, having an extra bit of space also means it can get a bit messy. If you struggle with keeping your office tidy, this blog article is for you.

Having a cluttered desk has plenty of downfalls. Working in a messy environment may also decrease your levels of productivity and effectiveness. If your desk is tidy, you will spend less time looking for documents and items around your desk. Also, with a clear space your mind won’t be distracted by the thought of having to sort things out. So let’s get into it.

Remove everything

By removing everything from your desk and office, you will have the opportunity to sweep and clean your furniture too. At the same time, you can actually go through everything you own. Which bring us to point 2.

Divide your things in different piles: throw away, donate and keep

The most important part of this step is to be rational, and only keep objects you know you will use, for example a mouse pad or a photo of your dog. When it comes to donating and throwing away, the best way to divide your stuff is to think whether someone else will make use of it.

Consider investing in space organisers and shelves

Clearing things up is helpful, but with time your office space will get clogged again. The best way to prevent this is to get some space organisers, such as bookends and pen cups. Shelves are also great for books and documents you don’t need to access as often. Another tip would be to get some drawers to have under your desk.

Fix your cables!

Cables really do make a difference when it comes to space tidiness. There are some options for cable management, such as buying sticky labels or even cable management boxes, bars and sleeves. Having tidy cables also makes it so much easier to clean your office space.

Don’t forget to clean regularly

Once you’ve invested in decorations and space organisers, and sorted out what you need, cleaning regularly comes next. At the end of the day, cleaning regularly is the best tip on how to keep your office space tidy! It’s important to have a routine and do this whenever you can. It doesn’t have to be every day, but even once a week or once a month works. It’s important to set aside some time for cleaning and sorting our your space. If you do this regularly, it will only take 1h tops every so often.

Storage is your friend

Sometimes getting rid of old things just isn’t an options, and that’s when renting a storage unit can help you keep your space tidy. Cookes Storage can support you throughout your business journey with a variety of storage room options, and more. If you’re based around Sutton Coldfield and have any questions, please email us at
 info@cookesstorage.co.uk or give us a call on 0121 250 5055 . 

Every new year we want to start it off right and we make resolutions we end up not following. We think of the new year as an occasion to reinvent ourselves, which we totally can, but maybe instead of making big plans, we could start small instead. This way, it’s easier to achieve what we set for ourselves.

Here are some ideas and some totally realistic resolutions we can all work on for 2022.

Start the new year off right by being more environmentally conscious

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a big focus on climate change and being environmentally friendly. As good as it sounds, buying an electric car or having solar panels installed is very expensive, and not everyone can afford it. Instead, there are plenty of small acts that can make a change. Taking public transport instead of driving is one easy step.

Or for example, turning the tap off when it’s not needed is a great start. Buying second hand clothes is also a great option, and if you can’t afford not buying from fast fashion brands, there’s plenty of things you can still do. For example, instead of buying clothes that are only fashionable for a short period of time, buy timeless pieces of clothing instead. Also, making the most of the clothes you have and wear them until they break can make a difference.

Also, ditching plastic as much as possible whenever you can really helps the environment. Eating less meat is also a good option, even though vegetarian and vegan options can be quite expensive.

Start the new year off right by sticking to a healthy routine

Everyone wants to be healthy, join the gym, exercise every day, never have cheat days and so on. As good as these plans sound, they’re hard to stick to. Having a routine can be hard when you are busy and have long shifts. If you see that going to the gym isn’t doable, instead of signing up and only going once, there’s other options. For example, there are plenty of 30 minutes workout videos on YouTube that you can follow from the comfort of your living room. Another option is aiming to walk at least 10k steps a day, or trying some yoga.

Balance is key, and never having cheat days is definitely not healthy. Instead of not eating food like chocolate or pizza, or drink alcohol, you should include them to your diet, just in controlled amounts among many other nutritious foods.

and keeping your house tidy

Having a tidy house is a big ask, but one easy thing that can be done is to recycle or donate items that you don’t need. By unclogging your garage or your spare room, your house will automatically be tidier. And if you still want to get rid of items you don’t use as much but you don’t feel the need to throw them away yet, a storage room is a good option.

We offer plenty of storage options to suit your needs, from 16sft to a 270sqft room. For more information you can check our website: cookesstorage.co.uk or email us at info@cookesstorage.co.uk.

You’re moving out of your parent’s house and into your first home or maybe you are moving into Uni halls… but you don’t know what to take and what do you leave? Don’t worry, you are not alone! We can guarantee that everyone has had to think about the ‘what do I take with me’ problem!

You might be thinking about all the new things you can get for your home, but you’ll soon find your parents on the doorstep with a car full of your childhood toys and teenage clutter. You might not see the need for them now, but one day you may well treasure those memories. So, what sort of thing should you hold onto and what should you let go?

Things to keep

Family photographs

You may not be that interested in pictures of yourself playing on a beach you don’t remember age 3 – but one day you’ll find yourself wanting to know more about your parents holidays before you were born, or your grandparents wedding. Go through them with your parents, and have them write down who each person is on the back, so you have the information when you want it.

Old toys

Just like clothes, toys often come back into fashion as trends renew. Marvel figurines, Matchbox cars, Furbies, Tamagotchi and Pokemon cards have all come back around as must have toys over time. If you are still holding on to original versions of these, they may well increase in value. The last thing you want to do it is throw out all of your childhood toys now, only to discover you had a rare and valuable Barbie. And even if they aren’t worth anything, your own children may enjoy playing with them in time.

School reports and pictures

You may have skipped out of school on the last day, glad you never have to think about it again. Perhaps you won’t for years. But then you’ll have a school reunion, or bump into someone you knew, and you’ll want to peek back at the memories.

Awards, certificates and trophies are all nice to keep, but perhaps one of the best things, though you might not think it now, as your school reports. In 20 years time these can be a great source of entertainment, although you might want to hide the teacher’s comments from your own children.

Things to recycle

Clothes

There may well be some favourite clothes you just can’t bear to leave behind: a snuggly hoodie or band T-shirt. But the majority of clothes you wore as a teen probably don’t need to go with you to your new home. Sort out the ones that no longer fit, or are a bit too worn, and see what you can give to charity.

Books and magazines

We certainly do accumulate a lot of paper in our lifetimes. But do you really need to keep it? Take a look at your bookshelves, and see which treasured paperbacks you are really likely to read again, and which ones you have outgrown. Comics and magazines are the same. It’s all extra weight.

Finding space

Now you’ve decided what you need to keep, you still might not have space in your new place for all the boxes. Don’t throw things out just because you can’t find a cupboard for them, if you know you’ll regret it one day. With your own small self-storage locker, you’ve got just enough space for your childhood treasures, secure and dry, until you’re feeling nostalgic.

Still not sure how much space you need? Call us on 0121 250 5055 and we’ll talk through your requirements and design the perfect package for you.

The weather may be hotting up, and we’re officially heading into summer. If, like us, you didn’t manage to get round to that essential spring clean, don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time.

Here’s our top tips to hack the clean so it won’t take up that valuable summer time and allow you to spend more time with friends and family.

Break it down

One of our main problems with the big annual clean is feeling overwhelmed when we start to think of all those jobs waiting to be done.

In reality, there doesn’t have to be so much to swallow if you make each task more bitesize. Make a list of everything that you want to do, then break it down. Instead of being faced with 1000 jobs, you can create lists of about ten per room that can be tackled over a number of days.

Not only will you start to see progress from the start, you’ll be spurred on to do more.

Call in help

You really don’t need to do it alone. A job shared is a job halved, after all. If you need to do a big deep clean, why not call in a local cleaner. There are plenty of small local businesses and franchisees who can help out for one off jobs, like Merry Maids here at Minworth Business Park. Of course, once you’ve seen how much easier it life becomes, we’re sure you’ll be using them for the weekly clean as well.

Alternatively, why not ask a friend or family member to help – in return for a similar favour from you. Okay, you do end up cleaning two homes, but you can have more fun while you’re hard at work.

Create a donation box

This can be quite difficult for people who like to hoard or keep sentimental items. Creating a donation box and choosing a charity that means something to you will help incentivise you to sort through everything. Knowing that everything is going to a good cause will make it far easier to be ruthless and clear things out.

Dust and bleach

If there is one thing that will make a huge difference, it’s giving your surfaces a good dust. Use a drop of bleach in water to wipe over surfaces, and not only will your home look clean, but it will smell clean too. With a lovely summer freshness to your home, you’ll end up doing more cleaning than you intended.

Declutter using the 12 month rule

Do you still have something in your bathroom, cabinet, cupboard or wardrobe that you haven’t used, worn or eaten in the past 12 months? Then the golden rule is simple. Get rid.

Styles change, food expires and clutter grows. So to clear your head, become more productive in your life and make room for more buys, be brutal and clear it out.

Finally – open those windows wide, get outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

There are a few things we British find synonymous with spring – lighter evenings, lambs running through the fields, the drenching of an April shower – and of course, the spring clean.

There is nothing more satisfying than a thorough spring clean – it’s a time when we open wide the windows, letting the warm sunshine and fresh air blow away the dregs of the winter; when we delve deep into cupboards and sort through the unnecessary clutter; when we chase spiders and cobwebs out and put a shine on all the woodwork.

The spring clean is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years – possibly even to ancient Egyptian times if Wikipedia is to be believed! However, modern day living has brought with it some unique challenges.

It’s a fact that in today’s consumer lifestyle we have more stuff – more clothes, more sports gear, more gym equipment, more hobbies, more possessions and so on. It’s also true that modern homes are getting more compact and – as anyone who has been house hunting recently can attest – are seriously lacking in storage.

In times gone by we would have just heaved all of that extra clutter up into the attic space. But who has attic space anymore? That’s already been converted into an extra bedroom.

The rest would be squashed into the garage, carefully stacked and balanced to avoid the car. Except – we don’t really keep cars in the garage anymore, if you even have a garage, because it’s already been adapted into an extended kitchen.

Self Storage Heroes

That’s where your local self-storage heroes leap to your rescue. Indoor self-storage is a rapidly growing industry in the UK, as we discover the advantages to having additional storage units to keep all of our less used, bulkier possessions.

As you root through the cupboards and prepare for the beautiful months of sunshine ahead, sort all of your thick winter clothing into boxes. This will leave more space in the wardrobe for your summer wear – with air to let the fabrics breath.

You’ll soon discover piles of memorabilia – the children’s school reports and certificates, medals and trophies, that they no longer want to display, but you can’t bear to bin.

Not to mention the stack of exercise equipment – stepping machines, thigh trainers, weights and running machines – that you currently use as a rather expensive clothes dryer.

It’s time to take all of your “I’ll use it one day” belongings and place them in self-storage. There’s no need to pay for unused space – there are a choice of storage unit sizes so you only rent what you need.

Everything is packed away, safe, dry and secure, until you need it. Your self-storage hero from Cookes Storage will even come and collect it for you, so there’s no excuse not to get that clutter cleared.

And as you put the final polish on the shelves and rub the last smear from the windows, you can relax in your spacious, freshly cleaned home, ready to enjoy the rest of spring.

Lifestyle Storage

If you are one of the millions in the UK living in apartments or city centres, you’ll be fully aware of how important your space is. With little or no garden and likely no garage, how can you manage all of your belongings? And let’s face it, as a population we are gathering more and more belongings in every generation. Lifestyle Storage can make your life easier.

If you are a family that loves the outdoors, just where do you keep all of your extra equipment? A 2-parent, 2-child family means 4 bikes. Keen campers require tents, sleeping bags, gas cookers and canisters, cooking utensils, chairs, camping beds . . . the list goes on.

Then there’s the sports gear – hockey sticks, tennis rackets, footballs – or for the more serious outdoor enthusiasts – canoes, surfboards, climbing gear and so on.

That’s where offsite lifestyle storage options really do make all the difference. With your own personal storage unit you effectively have your very own garden shed – but with many added benefits.

Damp and rodent free storage

There’s nothing worse than arriving on your campsite after a fraught 4 hours in the car with shrieking children, traffic jams, diversions and torrential rain, than putting up your family tent and discovering it’s covered in mildew. Or worse – full of tiny but well-chewed holes from the resident family of mice.

With an indoor self-storage space like Cookes Storage in the West Midlands, you know that your precious canvas is protected from rain and wildlife – at least until your next camping trip.

Mess free solutions

If you do live in an apartment, then the last thing you want is to be bringing the great outdoors back into your home. So, if you are a keen mountain biker, after a full day shooting through muddy ravines and down dirt tracks, it’s far better to take that bike back to your lifestyle storage unit than to trek it into your hallway.

Especially if, as any biking enthusiast knows, your collection of bikes expands to provide options for every terrain.

Wet canoes, wetsuits, muddy waders or fishy jackets – keep the mess and smells of your outdoor hobbies away from the inside of your home.

Out of sight – until you need it

Many of our extra curricula activities are seasonal, and that means that the gear we need spends a good portion of the year taking up precious space. The great thing about your storage unit is the flexibility it gives you to prioritise your belongings, so you don’t have to choose between sports.

Take out your skis for the winter, bring home the sled, and get all the tobogganing in you can for the few days a year that we have snow. And don’t forget your hockey sticks and rugby balls.

Once the seasons change, you can deposit all your winter gear back into your lifestyle storage room – and get out the tennis racket and surfboard, ready for the summer sports season.

Live without limits

Your home space may be limited, but your lifestyle doesn’t have to be. The great thing about storage is that it gives you space to expand your horizons and enjoy all of the sports you love, without compromising on your equipment.

For more information on the self storage services offered by Cookes Storage please call 0121 250 5055 or Get a Quote.