National Clean Off Your Desk Day

Here is a great reason to spend some time focusing on the tidiness of your desk--it's National Clean Off Your Desk Day! Especially this year, while working from home, there are even more reasons to make sure your workspace is working for you and not against you. Giving your desk a good once-over from time to time will help increase productivity and keep things looking tidy. It can be overwhelming to start cleaning a desk that's piled with papers and long overdue. Here are some tips to get you started: Focus: You can get easily sidetracked into other things while organizing. Unfinished tasks will pass through your hands–people to call, things to do, etc… You’ll have to plan ahead to focus on the organizing process.Set a timer: Don’t let time waste. Determine how much time you can designate to cleaning your desk and carve it out. Even 30 minutes is a good little chunk to get you started.Gather: Gather up all papers and miscellaneous items. Remember the “handle it once rule”. If you can put it away quickly, get it where it belongs. Only if there is more decision making involved, put it in the pile. Make sure a trash/recycle bin is handy so you can easily get all junk mail and trash out promptly. Anything office supply related should go together, make a pile of items that belong in other rooms and then gather the miscellaneous.File: File any papers that you can. If your drawers are filled and it’s tight getting things put away, consider planning another time to organize and clear through the files. Here is a blog post on creating filing systems.Put Away: Store all office supplies together and keep only what you need handy. Pens, paper, etc… Items that are “extras” should be stored together in a closet or in a bin on a shelf labeled, "Office Supplies".Wipe Clean: Once those papers and piles are out of the way, wipe down all surfaces with a good anti-bacterial cleaner.Enjoy: You’ll be surprised how much you will appreciate your freshly cleaned and organized space!