4 Ways to Declutter and Downsize to a Smaller Office

coworkers setting up new office with packing boxes

Are you facing an office move soon? While most office moves involve relocating to a larger space, sometimes it’s just the opposite. Whether due to a tighter budget, a forced relocation, or simply a desire to streamline operations and cut costs, you may be looking to downsize into a smaller office space. That’s not to say that moving to a smaller facility doesn’t come with its own challenges. It does.

It’s important to be prepared to make the most of your move. Check out these four tips to make your downsizing move easier and less stressful:

1. Inspect What You’ve Got

The first step is to perform a full audit of all your stuff so you know what you’re working with. Grab a paper and pen and tour the office, making a list as you go. Or, if you want to get fancy, set up a spreadsheet or database that everyone can access, and coordinate your audit on a person-by-person basis.

Categories for your audit could include:

Furniture (desks, cubby walls, chairs, appliances)
Technology (computers, conference equipment, mobile devices)
Stock (products or raw materials)
Equipment (machinery, tools, vehicles)
Records (paper and digital)
Miscellaneous (personal items, coffee makers, microwaves, etc.)

Then all you have to do is fill in the names and numbers of those items under their corresponding categories.

2. Identify Wasted Space

Take some quick measurements or obtain the floorplan of the new location if you can. Run through your current list of furniture, equipment, appliances and other items that take up space in your office or on your production floor. Ask yourself, is there anything:

That rarely, if ever, gets used?
That is a duplicate of something else?
That can be converted, updated, or changed to reduce its footprint?

Think about all those records you have going back years or decades. Can you clean them all out? Do you really need them? Can you digitize them instead?

3. Take Action Before Moving Day

Be sure to eliminate or downsize everything you can before your move. Getting rid of anything that won’t fit in the new place will cost you extra time, money, and effort to store off site.

As early as you can…

Sell unused/unnecessary equipment, tools, and furniture online or in local business classifieds, if they’re still in good shape. If not, toss them.
Destroy unnecessary paperwork, or store it offsite, or convert to digital.
Compare prices on upgraded equipment and furniture that occupy less space or combine functions.

4. Get Professional Help

Even after all the preparation and decluttering, your office move will be stressful. Don’t try to burden yourself with all of it or ask your employees to take on overtime grudge work. Instead, hire reputable, professional moving services in Dallas that have the resources and experience to handle your downsizing move quickly and efficiently.