It’s January 11, and that means it is National Clean Your Desk Day! In honor of this day, we have outlined a few great ways you and your employees can tidy your desk to improve efficiency and productivity in the workplace! After all, removing clutter and organizing your materials can make your life a whole lot easier.
So, that said, what are some methods and strategies for cleaning and maintaining an organized desk?
Clean Daily
This first tip may seem simple and obvious, but it is the number one way to maintain a clean and tidy desk! Organizing items and putting away materials at the end of each day ensures that your desk doesn’t build up clutter over time! A great way to do this is to simply set aside 3 minutes to put things away at the end of each day, wipe down your desk, and organize your materials.
All those pieces of scrap paper… should be recycled. Those paper clips you have laying out on the desk…they should be put back in the drawer. The multi-colored highlighter strewn across the desk…they should be put back in their holder. The empty disposable coffee cup…it should be thrown out!
All of these are easy things to do, and they not only keep your workspace clean and organized, but they also keep the entire office looking great! This is beneficial not only for you but also for your co-workers and anyone who may visit the office in the near future.
But What Should I Do On National Clean Your Desk Day Specifically?
So, now that it is National Clean Your Desk Day, you may be wondering what you can do today to organize and clean up your workspace. Here are just a few ideas:
Consider and Evaluate Each Item On Your Desk
It is not uncommon for workspaces to be filled with items that you never even use! This can really clutter up your space. For example, do you really need two pen-holders with over 35 pens of different types and sorts? Probably not. Do you have to have seven sets of sticky notes in your desk drawer when you haven’t used a sticky note in weeks?
As such, you should consider going through each of your drawers, disposing of or offering to co-workers anything you don’t need.
The best way to approach this is to remove everything from your desk. This may sound like a hassle, but it is the best method to ensure you consider each and every item. Plus, you can organize your drawers and desk as you put the items back in their respective places.
Organize Your Drawers
So many people never bother to really organize their desk drawers. They just simply throw materials and tools into their drawers when they are done using them and then search around for them when they need them again. This is not an excellent organizational method. Instead, you should have a place for each and every item you use – a specific place for your stapler, your hole punch, your sticky notes, your pens, etc.
This will help keep your desk clutter-free and reduce the amount of time you waste searching for things – something that can be a real nightmare, especially if you are in a hurry to get something done.
Use Folders and Dividers for Paperwork
Do you keep a lot of files and paperwork on your desk or in a nearby filing cabinet? Now is a great time to reconsider your organization system for these files. Maybe there are files that you have to keep but which you haven’t looked at in years – consider moving these to a separate drawer. Maybe your folders are getting stuffed, forcing you to search through dozens of papers to find documents frequently – consider dividing these up into sub-groups and sub-folders.
Anything you can do to assist yourself in identifying things quickly and efficiently will pay dividends in the future, saving you time, effort, and energy.
Remove Distractions and Gadgets and Unnecessary Objects from Your Desktop
It is easy for desktops to get cluttered up with personal items that are unrelated to your job. It can be great to have a picture of the family, but do you need five framed photos? Or do you really need that magic eight ball or Rubix cube on your desktop? These things may look nice on your desktop, but more often than not, they are just going to get in the way and add to the clutter of your workspace.
As such, you should try to minimize how many unnecessary objects you have on your desktop. One photo of the family will probably suffice, and you probably don’t have to have a Rubix cube on your desktop (odds are you shouldn’t be solving a Rubix cube during the workday).
Just removing objects like these can make a world of difference. Your desk is prime real-estate – there isn’t a lot of space, and you should consider each and every object you put on it.
Put a Bin for Receiving Papers on Your Desk
Are co-workers and employees frequently dropping off papers or memos at your desk throughout the day – even when you are not at your desk? This can make your desk extremely cluttered, and it can make it easy for you to lose track of important documents.
The best way to solve this is to have a small, printer-paper-sized bin or receptacle for co-workers and employees to drop off papers in. That way, you know where they are, they are in reach, and you can go through them as time allows without being distracted from the task at hand. This is just one small way to reduce clutter.
Overview
Organization in any workplace environment is key. Having a clean and organized workspace goes a long way in facilitating this. So take this National Clean Your Desk Day as an opportunity to start the new year off right. After all, there is no time like the present to clean your desk and improve your efficiency and productivity in the workplace – it can pay dividends in the near-term and long-term future!
As always, if you have any questions or would like to learn more about how LACOSTA’s services can benefit your business, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are happy to discuss how we can partner with your business in the future.