Staying organised is important no matter what your job may be. Working in law is no exception to this; in fact, it's even more important.

Your time is quite literally money, so the less time you waste fumbling around for what you need, the more you can make and the better you can serve your clients. While it's somewhat inevitable that you'll have a packed schedule as a lawyer, there are steps you can take to maximise your free time and make running your office a much smoother affair. Just try these five tips for organising your law office and watch your productivity soar.

1. Keep Your Desk Clean

It may seem basic, but a clean desk is the first and one of the most fundamental step to an organising your own law firm. This shouldn't be confused for having a barren desk, however, as it's entirely possible to have quite a few items on your desk while ensuring they are all in their proper places and easy to access when you need them. Beyond the organisational use for this, though, there's also the fact you'll just look a lot better to your clients if your desk isn't messy and cluttered when they walk in. 

2. Store Smart

Storage is one of the things that most commonly bogs down a law office with clutter. As such, devising a simple and comprehensive system for storing and sorting materials, documents, and anything else important is key to running an organised office. Investing in some large, high-quality filing cabinets or storage bins is a good first step here.

3. Purge When Necessary

A major part of organisation is knowing when to let something go. Keeping extremely old files that are far past their usefulness is a waste of space and could even compromise a previous client's confidentiality if it were to be left out somewhere, so destroying it is the best course of action most of the time. Transferring physical documents to your computer can also aid in this process, allowing you to shred the paper while still keeping digital copies where you can most easily access them when needed. With electronic copies of documents you'll have greater ability to search for them and you'll no longer have to clog up your office with bulky storage cabinets. 

4. Start Small

Messy people can often find it overwhelming to shovel through the trash they've stored up when first trying to organise a space. To counter this, try to start small with your organisational methods. Pick a single room or a single area within a room and sort through the things there. Decide what you should keep and what you should toss out for that space, then move on when it's entirely complete. Segmenting your tasks like this is an easy way to keep up your motivation and make the job seem less overwhelming.

5. Keep to the Plan

No matter how neat your office looks at the end of a major organisation project, it won't matter if you just return to your old ways a week later. After you've fixed up your space, make a plan for using your newly tidied office and stick to it. Don't leave papers or pens or other things lying everywhere and ensure rubbish is disposed of properly rather than left to sit in the bin or tossed about. Discipline is key to preventing another majorly dysfunctional workplace. Doing a weekly inventory can also be a benefit.

Though it can be rough at times, practising law is a rewarding experience. Practice these five tips to keep your office space organised so clutter and disrepair don't impede your ability to deliver justice. If you really want to take things to the next level, though, try looking into legal practice technology like LawMaster to help out. Its electronic filing and mailroom allow you to easily organise your day by recording the things you have to take care of, documenting and managing important files, keeping a record of costs, and so much more to simplify the organisation process.