National Clean Off Your Desk Day was January 11th. As a perpetually struggling student of productivity, I naturally missed it. But who says we have to stick to the second Monday in January as a time to get organized? My desk still needed cleaning, and I’m sure yours does, too.
Because I had no idea there was a National Clean Off Your Desk Day, I also didn’t realize there were so many desk-cleaning tips on the web to help you celebrate this illustrious day. I thought I could learn something here, so I gathered some advice and went through it step-by-step on my own desk.
Grossest stuff first:
Start chucking out old food boxes, wrappers, and empty bottles. If you tend to eat while you work, this could be the bulk of the mess on your desk. I’ll admit to some empty Oreo wrappers this time around. For most people, though, the big problem is probably papers.
The paper problem:
I had a stack of papers that was so enormous, it started to block my view of the monitor. When it went through them, 80% were bills I had already paid, magazines I had already read, and credit card offers I didn’t care about. I put this stuff in a pile for shredding and recycling. This was a good reminder to switch as many of my monthly bills as possible to electronic statements. I pay them online already, and the paper copies just take up space.
The two-minute rule:
Out of the other 20%, at least a few of the papers were attached to action items that fell under the two-minute rule. I took some time out from my attack on the desk to sign a couple of checks, fill out some forms, and put them in envelopes for my next mail run. Total time? 5 minutes, tops. The rest of the paper went into my terrifyingly unkempt filing system — but that’s a horror story for another time.
With the paper out of the way, the rest was easy. Pens and other office supplies were returned to their proper bins, and I dusted my desk and wiped it down. National Clean Off Your Desk Day was complete … and only two weeks too late!
Pick a time this week and do your own desk-cleaning day. We’d love to hear about the grossest trash and biggest sources of clutter on your desk, so leave us a story in the comments.
Jay is a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. He blogs about software for Download Squad and contributes interviews to The Morning News, among others. You can also find him on Twitter.
Photo Credit – williamhook
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