The deep spring clean should not be restricted to the home, after all, you spend a large majority of your time at work. In particular, for those of you sat at a desk from 9 until 5, the clutter can build up considerably throughout the year. I’m not just talking about those chocolate wrappers which you had a few too many of over Christmas, it’s the unfiled paperwork and your computer too. In fact, when you are sat in one place for many hours a day, you will be surprised quite where the mess can seep into.
After giving the desk a quick wipe down, it’s time to get down to business and start re-organising. Let’s start at the worst part – your catch all drawer. You know the one, when something drops on your desk and you do not want anything to do with it, you whip open the drawer and stuff it in there, hoping you will forget. Unfortunately, unlike the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia, it is still there and now your drawer is overflowing with random junk.
With most of that safely deposited in the nearest bin, you now have the ball rolling, congratulations. Next up, create a system to maintain the flow of your work with a way to distinguish what is outgoing and what work you still need to complete. It does not need to be complex, a couple of baskets will keep things neat and tidy on your desk all while ensuring that important report does not slip through the net again.
Now, your physical space is looking a lot more organised, but your computer is a complete minefield. Freezes, crashes and your virus protection flashing at you have all become the norm in the past few months. Just like the catch all drawer, your computer gathers up all the mess and it looks like it has disappeared forever thanks to technology, unfortunately after a year of flooding it with downloads and word documents, it will become full like the catch all drawer, and when it does, it will get stuck. So set up a few folders to organise all those documents you haphazardly saved to the desktop and give your e-mail inbox, outbox and sent folder a deep cleanse. E-mail programmes enjoy taking up tonnes of space.
Nearly there now, and with your work space in order, there is but one thing left to remedy. You’ve given the area you work in a fresh start, so be sure to give yourself a clean slate. If there is something you have been putting off, perhaps it got lost in the mire of the catch all drawer or you found it floating in your inbox amongst thousands of e-mails trying to sell you a *Rolex* watch, now is the time to get it out of the way.
So now you are ready for another year, armed with a fairly coherent filing system and a clean drawer, ready for you start flinging paper clips into. If you fancy adding a couple of finishing touches, I would suggest adding a bit of greenery. A small plant will do, or if you are feeling particularly creative, a bonsai tree will not only add a bit of life to your desk, but you might be able to kill a few more minutes of your day tending to it.