Having a workspace that is organised and clutter free can completely change your day, the way you work as well as giving you the freedom to complete tasks away from distractions.

If you have been putting off clearing your desk or work area, now is the perfect time to have a good clearout and start fresh. Think of it as a new ‘work term’.

Cleaning agenda

A tidy desk is linked with a tidy mind. It’s not enough to clean around things, as dust and airborne germs can collect under books, around cups or on keyboards. Before doing anything else, you should remove everything from your desk. 

Be thorough but gentle on more delicate surfaces, and ensure you’re covering every corner of your desk. Wipe under laptops, computers and on drawer handles with warm water or antibacterial spray and a microfiber cloth which allows germs and other bacteria’s to be picked up.

If you’re now working from home, cleaning your desk twice a day is a good habit to get into. Naturally, cleaning your desk every time you sit down is impractical. But if you can keep a clean workspace before and after your day, you’ll be reducing your chances of contamination.

Always wash your cloths after using hot water or a hot cycle in the washing machine to keep your cloths clean and smelling fresh.

What do you use on a daily basis? 

After you have cleaned your desk area, make a note of what you use on a daily basis. Only keep things you really need on your desk. Use a tray for any papers you have to read, use a jar for pens and pencils and have a bin near your desk.  

File away any paperwork that is not needed but if you really do need to keep bits of paper out for reference, use a notice board on the wall. Check it every day and throw old notes in the bin so you can stay on top of things.

Keep it or throw it away?

Before you start to throw everything away, divide your items into three piles; keep, put away or throw away.

The first group are things that return to their place. The second group is for things that you don’t need right now but may need them at a later date. These items should be placed in a box and stored in a cupboard or archived.

The third box is for things that you want to throw away as you no longer need them. However, if the items are still in good use and you are only throwing them away because you no longer use them, maybe think about donating them to a locate charity.

Continue with your hard work

Clutter builds over time, therefore in order to keep it up; you will need to develop some habits moving forward. Always put things back after they’ve been used and take some time to clean up at the end of each day.

 If you find yourself struggling to store things, invest in more storage options rather than trying to use something that is not suited to the task. If you see your work space getting out of hand again, it’s time to start another de clutter day!

With your office looking cleaned and organised, this is the perfect time to go out and buy new supplies that you may need, whether that is a bin, notice board or organisers. It is important to have fun and use colours if possible or at least something that shows off your brand or personality.