You’ve heard the saying before: A Clear Desk = A Clear Mind. So with many of us feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work why are we continuing to pile our desks high with clutter we just don’t need?
If your office space is impacting on your ability to work efficiently then why not try these 5 easy steps to de-clutter your desk AND your mind!
Make a weekly clearing habit
On your first day you probably arrived to an empty desk with just a computer a phone and a mouse mat in front of you – so when you see the piles of old paperwork, empty pain killer packets and 700 biro’s you may wonder how this happened! Things can easily pile up so set a weekly schedule where you spend 20 minutes or so clearing away what you don’t need, shredding unwanted documents and filing things into an order so you know where everything is. It may seem like a chore at the time but it could save you hours of stress and panic from looking for lost documents etc!
Don’t let documents pile up
A weekly clear up should certainly help with this but make sure to file documents away as you go so that things do not go missing stacked up in piles on your desk! If you need to shred documents, do these as you go to save a mind-numbing afternoon of shredding months’ worth of unwanted documents!
Use a Diary
A clear desk isn’t just about binning old scraps of paper and water bottles; you need to get your mind in order so you can take on the days tasks efficiently. The best way to do this is with a diary. Forget the 12 post-it notes scattered around your desk – use a diary to map out your tasks for the day and cross off completed tasks as you go! Your outlook will have an online diary as well so use this to schedule meetings and set reminders for critical times of your day.
Keep your desktop clear
When faced with a large desk it can be tempting to fill every inch with loose stationary, refreshments and even cuddly toys… (yes, really). Try and keep what you have on here to a minimum e.g. Computer, phone, coaster for a drink, desk tidy and a filing shelf for everyday documents / notepads etc.
Have a digital de-clutter
If you’re like me you spend 90% of your day working on a computer – so there is nothing worse than having a messy inbox / desktop when you are trying to go about your day! Make specific inbox folders and file away emails as you go once you have dealt with them. You can categorise emails by colour category and urgency to help you prioritise your day! Make sure you file away documents accordingly so you don’t have a million icons floating around your desk-top!
So there you have it – 5 quick steps to de-clutter your desk and your mind! If you really want to find your inner calm then why not rally your staff into a morning of office yoga?
Namaste.
Sophie Heaton (Digital Campaign Manager)
