The 12 Days of Spring Cleaning: Day 9

Welcome to DAY 9 of our 12 Days of Spring Cleaning! How has it been going for you? Are you creating space for wonderfulness to bloom? Finding things you forgot you had? Feeling lighter as all the unneeded *stuff* is tossed? I hope so!

Let's continue!

DAY 9 ~ Your work space. You can make this about either your home or workplace office...or both! The benefits of keeping a work space clean are many ~ from client perception of care you put into your work ~ to the actual quality of the work you provide ~ to your literal physical health.

By keeping your workplace clear, you have less visual distractions and will be able to focus on the task at hand. You will also find you have much more space to work from with a clear space. Keep your work organized and just like the e-mail inbox, keep your physical one empty too!

A clean desk and a tidy office show a client that the person in that office has things organized and efficient. You want the person you have hired for a task to be organized and focused on your project...exude the qualities you would hope to hire in someone.

In addition, most companies have cleaning services whom are not allowed to move anything on your desk to clean it. Keeping your desktop clear means it will be more often cleaned too.  Even if you have to clean it yourself, an empty desk and a tidy office are easier to clean and will probably be cleaned more often as such.

For the purposes of this Spring Cleaning task, clear your desk completely...all paper work, files, pen holders etc and give it a good sanitizing. This includes the handles to the desk drawers, the desk lamp switch, the outside of your filing cabinet, and any filing systems that reside on your desk.  Do you eat at your desk? Do you clean all the surfaces you touch while eating with the same care as you do the kitchen table pre/post mealtime? There is an incredible amount of bacteria growth in work spaces where mealtime occurs at the computer without regular post-munchies sanitation! Your office can become an incubator for germs! Only put back on top of your desk which really needs to be there...find a good home for the rest.

Don't forget your computer! Make sure the keyboard is dusted and sanitized to keep yourself healthy and avoid the bugs that inevitably get passed around a household and office! Take a can of compressed air and blow into and around the keys to remove dust and crumbs. Take a Q-tip and dip it in rubbing alcohol until it is damp, but not wet. Run the Q-tip over the top and around the outside of each key. Don't forget to sanitize the on/off button and monitor on/off button too (for those not on a laptop). Check the website for your type of computer for the best cleaning instructions for your monitor...but always avoid using paper towels which can scratch the screen!

Empty everything out of the desk drawers and sanitize the inside of the drawers (especially if you eat at your desk...crumbs are sneaky!). As you put everything back, notice if there is anything that can be tossed ~ eg. pens you don't like or that don't work ~ and think back to whether your previous organization system for the drawers was effective for you. Are there items you can never find, but need often? Are there items that don't quite fit how you had them, so they annoy you every time you open the drawer? Now is the time to give them a proper home!

Here's to a happy, productive, healthy work space!

Photo Props: ~Kristen via Flickr