January is a month dedicated to new beginnings and making changes. Often, we fall into habits and certain parts of our lives get a little bit messy. If you’re like me, then you probably have piles of stuff on your desk and in its drawers you promised yourself you’d get to “later.” Well, there’s a day for that.
National “Clean Off Your Desk Day” is celebrated every year on the second Monday in January. It is a day dedicated to cleaning and reorganizing your workspace, whether you’re in a private office, a shared office, a cubicle, at home or even at the kitchen table.
It’s a good idea to keep your desk clean. Not only does cleaning your desk help keep you organized, but it also has other benefits like helping to reduce stress and increase productivity. I can’t be the only one who has spent way too much time sifting through documents or having to test all the pens in my drawer to make sure they work. That’s why I’ll be participating in Clean Off Your Desk Day this year.
If you’d like to join in on the day, here’s some tips to get your desk organized:
Take everything off your desk
Wipe down the surface, cleaning items as you replace them on the desk
Organize wires with a cable organizer to keep clutter out of view
Organize your desk drawer supplies
Get rid of any excess or old desk supplies (like dried up pens)
Sort through loose documents, shredding and throwing away old ones as needed
After you’re done, breathe a sigh of relief as you admire how clean your desk is!
Even once your physical desk is organized, in the digital age, it’s always a good idea to organize your computer desktop. Try organizing your virtual documents into folders and delete anything you no longer need. I guarantee this will save you time and future headaches down the line.
I, for one, could use a nice desk cleaning to help me be more distraction-free. So, on Jan. 11, join me in celebrating National Clean Off Your Desk Day! And remember to post a picture of your clean desk with #CleanOffYourDeskDay.
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