As the rain washes away the last of winter's grimy snow, it's a great time to think about spring cleaning your office space. Having an organized workspace will help you feel less stressed and more focused, and you'll be more efficient if you don't have to go fishing around for the documents you need. With the simple steps below, you'll be on your way to a fresh and happy springtime at work.
tidy your desk
Sometimes if you look at something regularly enough, you can stop seeing it. Bring a springy, fresh pair of eyes to your workspace. Recycle old calendars, throw away any snacks that have lingered since the holidays, sort through any papers that are cluttering your drawers and cabinets. File any that you want to have as a reference, and recycle the rest.
If you don’t have a filing system, this may be a great time to create one! And if this first pass doesn’t work, revisit it in a few weeks and make adjustments. Being organized is a process. Having a system won’t work if you don’t keep up with it.
dust and sanitize
Once everything has been tidied, it may expose some areas of your desk that you haven’t seen in a while. Wipe down all surfaces to pick up dust, and then give your desk a once-over with a disinfecting wipe. While you’re at it, give your keyboard, monitor and phone a dusting with screen-safe anti-static wipes.
Attack your secret shame pile
We all have a back corner of a desk or drawer where non-urgent, onerous tasks are stashed. While tidying your desk, old to-do lists and reminders of these tasks are likely to surface. Start fresh by dispatching these activities. You’ll be surprised how manageable they’ve become with time, and it will feel great to not have them hanging over your head anymore.
Spring clean your snack routine
Rally a group of colleagues and purge the fridge. If employees store personal food there, ask everyone to label items that they want to keep by a specific date and time. Beyond that, everything is fair game for the garbage or compost. We encourage everyone to avoid waste, but also recognize the value of a clean fridge or office pantry. An organized kitchen can help prevent future waste by making it easier to find items, so that you can enjoy them instead of discovering them again later in an altered form.
Spring is also a great time to commit to healthy, organic snacks to help fuel your adventuring fun. When the chocolate covered pretzels run out, don’t replace them. Up your order of fruit from Boston Organics, or choose some new snack-worthy fruits and veggies from our ever-growing add-on produce section.
Happy spring!