Spring is finally here! Everyone is ready for the longer, sunnier days, the warmer weather and the change of seasons always brings a sense of renewal. This is why people are more inspired and motivated to clean their homes, however work stations and the office can easily be disregarded. It would be to employers’ and employees’ benefit to dedicate time to clean the office. Tidy workspaces can boost employee’s moods and with less clutter and distractions from disorganization, there will be an increase in productivity. Whether you work in a home office, a small cubicle or shared workspace, here is a cleaning checklist to keep you organized, motivated and productive.
Set a Date
- First things first, you need to schedule time in your busy work day to commit your attention and efforts to cleaning your space.
- Try to set aside cleaning time when the week is winding down, perhaps on a Friday afternoon or at the end of slower work day.
- Turn off notifications and clean during your allotted time, and if you cannot clean or organize everything within that timeframe then schedule time next week to finish up.
Clean Off Your Desk
- Remove everything from your desk, wipe down and disinfect your desk and office supplies, and take this opportunity to put everything back with a more organized approach.
- Only keep the essentials close by, within arm’s length, such as pens, paper, sticky notes, notepad, keyboard and mouse.
- All other supplies, paperwork and personal items should be stored away in designated areas near or away from your desk.
Out with the Old, In with the New
- Go through drawers, bins and folders to discard any old or useless paperwork or materials taking up space.
- Establish boundaries with yourself by allowing only enough things to fill up a drawer or two or a bookcase – this will keep you accountable for your things and prevent clutter.
Clean Out Your Computer
- Organize and file documents, wipe down your desktop and filter your emails.
- Create separate folders for old documents, email messages and icons.
- Backup these old files to an online cloud program or external drive so you can access this data without contributing to computer clutter and taking up unnecessary space/memory.
- Change your login passwords to keep your information security up-to-date.
Although it is great to use spring as inspiration to clean and reorganize personal and work spaces, these cleaning tasks should be done year round to keep you focused and productive. A neat and clean work space will improve company morale and, consequently, enhance the performance of everyone in the office.
References:
https://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45iljd/10-tricks-to-spring-clean-your-office/#613f5be111d2
https://www.servicemasterclean.com/blog/commercial-clean/office-spring-cleaning-checklist-employees/
Leave a Reply