Celebrate National Clean Off Your Desk Day: 2nd Monday in January Every Year
National Clean Off Your Desk Day
Background image by Aleks Dorohovich @ unsplash
Now that we’re all back at work after the chaos of the holidays it’s the perfect time to start being more productive in less time.
One of the ways to do that is to be more organized. Maybe that’s why organization goals make it onto so many new year’s resolution lists?
Ok, some people do seem to work better surrounded by clutter and piles that they can pick just the right file out of every time. But many of us do better with a least a little breathing room.
Today is the day to create that breathing room … because it’s National Clean Off Your Desk Day!
So sweep away the remnants of last year’s projects and set yourself up for a fresh, new outlook on life and work.
Depending on how much time you have, you could do anything from completely purging old unneeded files and setting up a new organization system to simply filing completed projects and tossing anything that’s obviously garbage.
The main goal is to make progress on cleaning up your work space.
We haven’t been able to discover who started this day or why (ok, the why probably has to do with a messy desk!). But who cares. It’s a great idea, so lets get started.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this productive unofficial holiday.
How to Celebrate Clean Off Your Desk Day
Now you’re probably thinking it’s pretty obvious how to celebrate: By cleaning off your desk of course!
Yes, you’re right, but how exactly will you be doing that? Goals need to be specific and measurable. Even little ones like cleaning your desk!
So here are a few ideas to get you started.
Individuals
Start with the easy stuff to build momentum. Then move on to things that require real thought or input from others.
So your cleaning process might look something like this:
- Toss anything that’s clearly garbage: Old notes/reminders you’ve taken care of, empty pens, magazines you’re never going to read (be honest!), etc.
- Collect all important documents: Organize them by project and file as appropriate. Be sure to keep current files easily accessible; either an easy-to-reach file drawer, desktop file organizer or wall-mounted organizer.
- Evaluate other items on your desk: How many pens, staplers, pictures, etc. really need to be there?
- Physically clean off your now-clear desk: Use a cleaner appropriate for your desk’s surface.
- Do a similar cleanup on your computer: Delete anything no longer needed; transfer old files you need to keep to external media; organize everything else into logical folders. Wipe off your monitor and get the dust/crud out of your keyboard.
For more ideas on how to clean, purge and organize your workspace, check out these articles by Fortune and Innovatively Organized.
Companies
Make it a company-wide project to get desks cleaned off. Computer desktops, too!
- Does your company archive completed projects? Work toward doing that for anything finished but not yet archived.
- Do you shred documents after a set period of time? Plan to to that today. Or at least collect the documents that need shredding in a centralized location.
- Do computer files need to be transferred to external media for long-term storage? Get that out of the way.
Or, if your company doesn’t have a process for doing these kinds of things, use today to start making plans for an official procedure.
