Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Workspace
When spring weather rolls in, it’s hard to stay inside! April is the best month to reset your environment with fresh, clean, organization.
If you’re feeling stressed, this exercise is also cathartic for your mind.
It doesn't matter if you've got an office job or if you work from home, keeping an organized desk and workspace is very important in order to work efficiently. It's not always easy to pay attention to cleaning and organization when you're worried about important deadlines, which is why your space can quickly turn into a mess.
I prefer to schedule my office spring cleaning on the weekend for two reasons; first, because the office is empty and I’m not as likely to get pulled into a work meeting, and second because I love to start the next week on a totally fresh note.
No matter when you choose, it’s important to be intentional about setting aside time, be it a few hours or a few days to concentrate on your workspace. You'll thank yourself later when you're able to find everything you need quickly and efficiently!
Consider some of the following cleaning tips for your workspace:
1. File away your paperwork. Paperwork can get out of hand fast. Spend some time sorting through your paperwork. File important papers away, and shred any personal documents that you won't need anymore.
Put all loose paperwork into a filing system and keep folders for any paperwork that you're currently working on. As new papers come in, try to deal with them right away, instead of leaving them on your desk for later.
2. Clean your work surfaces. Since you'll be able to finally see the bottom of your desk, you need to take advantage of the opportunity to clean the surfaces underneath the old clutter. Also take time to clean all of your desk items such as staplers, pens, and paper trays.
3. Deal with old reminder notes. If you have post-it notes all around the office, sift through them and throw out the ones that no longer apply. Reorganize them by priority, or make digital files to keep track of them. Post-its can get disorganized fast, so if you have something on a post-it that's a long-term project, it's better to keep your notes on your computer.
4. Deal with digital clutter. Cleaning your workspace doesn't apply only to your physical workspace. Is anything cluttering up your computer's hard drive? Go through your e-mail inbox and delete those you don't need or file them away. This includes digitizing your business cards and filing or throwing the paper version!
Clean up your computer desktop and delete old files or back them up to an external drive. Take the time to properly back up your files often, so you never lose important work.
5. Organize your supplies. Gather your work supplies into one area of your desk. Keep them in that space or a specific drawer. This will give them a permanent place so they're not left out and scattered around your desk at all times.
6. Clean the areas around the room. Vacuum the room around your desk and wash the windows, baseboards, and more. It's probably not an area that you often think about, which is why it's likely due for a cleaning.
Having a clean office environment is more inviting to you, your clients, and anyone you work with. It's always a good idea to keep your workspace organized as it helps you be more efficient, productive, and less stressed.