While working requires a little mess here and there, it’s no excuse to leave things tangled and dismantled forever. You may have a proper system in your desk, but you might overlook the crumbs and the leftovers that you may have left under a mess of deadlines and wires. When there’s a mess of crumbs, there will be insects and rodents – meaning they might nibble or crawl on your important documents and your computer wiring.
The restless system of rodents and their adventures to find the best crumbs will always get in the way of your productivity and will likely get you sick. If you’re not fond of cleaning, these steps will definitely motivate you in fixing the small system you have set up for a while. While it might help you remember where you put your items, you might find yourself in a bit of a pinch when something is not working like how they should be.
Clean and Declutter Your Desk With These Tips:
- Completely empty your desk. You may be discouraged to do this first step, but if you have noticed that some of your stuff might have disappeared, it’s time to check for the heavy piles of paper on your desk. But don’t just toss the items somewhere, designate a specific container for paper clips, wires, pens, and others to make sure that there will be no missing piece later on. You might actually find that missing flash drive or that pen Bryan lent you years ago.
- Disinfect your table. Before you even begin to imagine putting items back on your table, it’s the best time to get rid of the accumulated dust and the water or coffee stains you might have left unnoticed for a while – it will make you feel safe and more comfy working on your station. No need to fear what’s under that yellowed pile of paper no longer!
- Assess your items carefully. Do you really need 100 paper clips? Maybe it’s time to give up items you don’t use anymore and throw the broken items in the trash where they belong. You might even figure out what you actually need for your desk and maybe convince you to use more of the items you have in your drawers. You have more pins and a corkboard? Use that instead of a sticky note that keeps on falling on your desk.
- Consider making or bringing your own organisers. Do you have a ton of unused shoe boxes and accessory boxes at home? If not, you can use the organisers you can check in any stores near you. These will help you sort out your important documents and hopefully not let you lose files while working as well. You can dedicate specific drawers for papers, wires, or make divisions for each one for an efficient work.
- Make it a habit. There’s no use cleaning now if you let it go to shambles in the future – this will only be effective if you make it a habit. Schedule your next cleaning schedule and maybe rearrange your items to make it more spacious and cleaner while you work. It will make you more proactive in accepting and doing tasks – plus it’s a mental cleanse for your eyes as well. Cleaner space – mental relaxation.