5 Steps to Spring Cleaning Your Workspace

Spring, spring, spring. Once the weather starts to turn warm and green buds begin to sprout, we fling open the windows and make plans to deep clean our homes. With all the time you spend at the office, why not save some of that cleaning energy for your desk? Refresh your office with these five steps to spring cleaning your workspace.

Sort Everything

Start your cleaning spree by sorting everything into three piles: Keep, Trash, or Store. This is the perfect occasion to test all your pens to see if they still have ink (hint: some of them don’t), decide what to do with those year-old marketing meeting notes, and come to terms with how much stuff you’ve been holding on to. You may feel like you’re only making a bigger mess during this step, but plow on through! By taking note of what is worth keeping, you can come up with a system to prevent further accumulation of unnecessary files.

Streamline Items

To save space and keep like objects together, choose storage or organization options that streamline your clutter. Neatly display writing utensils in a pen holder to give your desk some additional visual polish. While older files can be stored elsewhere, keep frequently referenced paperwork close at hand in a Classic Box File or Reinforced Accordion Expanding Wallet—ideal for frequent travelers.

Organize by Daily, Weekly, or Monthly Use

Promote an efficient workflow by placing needed items in easily-accessible locations. Organizational experts suggest keeping your daily use items close at hand and staggering weekly, then monthly use items further out from your desk. Desk organizers, box files, letter trays, and file folders are ideal for your daily items. Store weekly and monthly items in drawers, on shelves, or in cabinets like the Bisley 6 Drawer Under Desk Multidrawer Cabinet.

Think Digital

Once you’ve cleaned up your physical workspace, don’t neglect your digital office! Take time to archive or delete unnecessary emails, files, desktop icons and bookmarks. You want your newly-organized desk to be in sync with a tidy digital desktop.

Reward Yourself

Congratulations on completing your spring cleaning! Time to treat yourself to something shiny and new that will keep you on track with your organizational goals throughout the year — a beautiful new notebook.

Now that your office is in tip-top shape, you can work on developing a paper-flow system to stop the avalanche of paperwork before it starts. With regular upkeep, you’ll be able to keep your workspace organized all year long and avoid another overwhelming spring cleaning session next spring.