Winter seemed to drag on forever this year, and it has been a long and cold one. Luckily, spring is here! And for many, that means it’s time to start the time-honored tradition of spring cleaning.
Spring is the perfect time to air out and clean our homes. Why should our offices be any different? We spend a fair amount of time at our desks or in our workspace, and studies have shown that cluttered and disorganized work environments can lead to a lack of focus, stress and overall feelings of dread.
No one wants to spend eight hours a day sitting in a dusty cube. Giving your desk a little TLC will not only help you get organized and perform better throughout the year, it will also help you feel less stressed and relaxed in your workspace.
Things You Can Do
While cleaning is often not high on people’s lists of “favorite pastimes,” giving your desk the sprucing up it needs is a quick and rewarding process:
Get rid of pens that no longer work. If they don’t write, they are no longer serving a purpose other than to frustrate you.
Declutter your stash of papers and files. We often save papers in case we need to reference them again, and many of us keep files for a certain amount of time after they’ve served their purpose for legal reasons. But all too often we let paperwork sit past the date of relevance and it begins to gum up our desk. Take the time to pull all your files and sort them, getting rid of the ones that are no longer useful. Most manuals are digitally accessible, and those you do have to keep can live in organized folders free of overcrowding. Take a few moments to shred or recycle any unneeded documents.
Revisit sticky notes on your monitor and throw out reminders you no longer need.
Keep the most useful papers and items near you. Having quick and easy access to important documents and items will save you time and stress by skipping the process of looking for them.
Mix up your personal desk items. Maybe switch out that old photo for a more recent one. Find a new and inspirational quote to replace one that no longer fuels you forward. Adding simple but clean personal touches can make your space feel friendly and welcoming to you. Just try to avoid bringing in too many items, which can become just as cluttering as the mess you worked so hard to remove.
Flip and clean out your keyboard, giving it the condensed air treatment; clean out your drawers of junk, because you don’t need 30-plus ketchup packets “just in case”; and finally, wipe away all the dirt and grime that’s accumulated in your space with a wet cloth or disinfecting wipe.
Once your desk is fresh and cleaned out, minimal upkeep is needed. Giving yourself five minutes at the end of each day to shut everything down, put things back in their place and do a bit of tidying becomes a great closing ritual, helping expel any negative stress from the day. By coming back to a clean and tidy desk, you’re setting up your tomorrow to be the best day it can be.
Happy spring cleaning!