'Clean up your desk' day: 5 tips for a tidy desk!

For many people, today is the first day of work or school after the Christmas vacations. All the more important to clear your desk this day and start the new year with a fresh start. A tidy desk is a tidy head.

Jan. 9, 2023: 'Clean up your desk' day

Every second Monday in January is "Clear Your Desk" day. Why the second Monday? On the first Monday of January, many people are still recovering from the holidays or enjoying their (Christmas) vacation. On the second Monday, most people return to their desks refreshed and ready to work. The perfect time to tidy up your desk. A tidy desk makes you more active and productive. Research shows that you are less likely to get frustrated in a tidy environment than in a messy one. You also have more focus and less stress at a tidy desk. As a result, you can concentrate better and therefore work more efficiently. Whether you work at home or at the office, a tidy desk simply gets more done and makes you feel satisfied at the end of the workday.

5 tips for cleaning up your desk

A tidy desk sounds very nice, of course, but how do you get it done? Especially on Monday mornings, it is sometimes easier to push the junk aside so you can quickly start your work day. That's why "Clear Your Desk" day is the perfect time to take some time to tidy up your desk anyway. To give you a hand, we have listed a few tips for you!

1. Get rid of unnecessary items

Five folders, ten pens, two boxes of paper clips, a box of tea bags. Sometimes we accumulate a lot of unnecessary stuff around us. Too much stuff makes for a full desk and a restless feeling. Therefore, remove all unnecessary things from your desk and store them somewhere else.

2. Give loose, lying around items a place

Don't just leave stuff lying around on your desk; make sure everything has a fixed place. For example, pens in a pen holder, loose papers together in a folder and other office supplies in your desk drawer.

3. Give your desk a good cleaning

Also don't forget to regularly clean your monitor, keyboard and mouse. Especially in a keyboard, dust and crumbs are easily left behind.

4. Take all dirty dishes to the kitchen at the end of the workday

Empty coffee cups, water glasses with only a bottom left in them and plates with the crumbs still on them: dirty dishes can easily pile up. Always remove all dirty dishes from your desk at the end of your workday and bring them back to the kitchen. That already saves a lot!

5. Make your workspace cozy

You spend a lot of time there. Therefore, besides being practical and functional, a workplace can also be a bit cozy. A plant or a photo will do a lot without making it too messy.