When you’re spending most of your waking hours in the office, creating a space where you actually want to spend your time can make a huge difference to how productive you are at work. Here are a few tips from us on how to make the most of your desk-space.
Declutter
A cluttered and untidy desk can really sap your energy, and when you need to get something done you might find that all the papers, sticky notes and coffee cups distract you from your purpose and stop you getting the job done. Clear away everything you don’t need, make use of desk tidies and pen pots (a nice mug or cup can add a personal touch to your workspace), only keep the things that you use regularly on your desktop. A clear space leads to a clear mind.
Mind the gaps
Take a few moments to up-end your keyboard, especially if you’re someone who ends up eating at their desk, you might be surprised at all the crumbs that fall out. A great tip for getting any stubborn bits that are wedged in there is to take a sticky note and run the sticky edge through the gaps a few times. This works brilliantly for keyboards, mice and any other equipment with small gaps.
Make it personal
If you spend most of your weekdays at your desk it makes sense to add a bit of personality to your space. For those lucky enough to be able to ‘decorate’ you could add photos or prints that you like as well as plants for a breath of life and fresh air (take a look at our post on indoor plants for some tips on the ideal plant for you). If things are more restrictive where you work then perhaps just adding some nice stationery to your space can make it feel more personal.
Get into a routine
Set aside a couple of minutes at the end of each day to do a quick tidy up, do your filing, put things back in drawers and clear away anything that you don’t need on your desk. If there’s something you know you’ll need in a few days then jot it down on a sticky note or notepad so that you don’t forget. Starting your next workday with a clean and clutter free desk will help you to hit the ground running.
Organise
Assign certain spaces on your desk for certain things. One side of your desk could be where you keep everything that’s awaiting action and the other side could be everything that’s complete. Add trays and box files to keep everything neat. If you want to make your desk space next level introduce colour coding to keep your tasks and projects in order.
