Every year from late November through the first of January, very little gets done in most offices around the country. Holiday parties, eggnog, holiday music, chatter about time off are all the norm. Rather than get frustrated about the lack of productivity, I decided to use this time to audit my desk and my office. The word audit is a fancy work for clean the office and getting it ready for a new year. Somewhere around the first week of December I will put some holiday music on and go to town. I start by taking everything, and I mean Everything off my desk. The desk gets a really good dusting and cleaning. Only essential items go back on the desk and they are cleaned before they go back on. I dust out that keyboard that has collected crumbs from every desk snack or meal I’ve consumed for the past year. I dust off and clean the smudges off the computer monitor. Don’t forget to clean and sanitize the phone handset and/or headset.
From the desk top, I then move to the desk drawers. I file away in storage boxes anything that needs to be archived and I set up new folders where needed. I go through the pens and pencils at throw away anything that is broken or no longer working. I will organize books on the shelf and dust anything else in my office. There are two reasons why I do this. For one, it is just good to clean your office on occasion (why not once a year). Second, I believe that it is mentally charging to have a clean slate to begin a new year. I learned a long time ago that coming back from a holiday vacation to an office that is dusty, dirty and in kayos is extremely demotivating. If you’re in a cubicle, you can do much of the same things. The idea is to clean and organize your workspace. Just one more way to bring balance back into your work life.
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Philip A Foster, MA is a professional leadership coach with Maximum Change Inc. Elevating leaders and their organizations to the next level since 2005. Master Certified Coach, Philip A Foster, MA and his associates facilitate effective positive change by helping organizations, leaders and individuals in high demand — design and implement strategies that maximize focus and deliver results. Specializing in Organization and Strategic Leadership.