The start of spring is the perfect time to clear out your home or office. With the end of a long winter of hibernation and the emergence of warmer, sunny days comes a collective yearning to have an industrial strength spring cleaning and organisation blitz.
Your home office or workspace is the ideal place to start. Winter bugs can breed illness and the chilly weather can mean we are all a little lax on deep cleaning this heavily trafficked space.
Step into spring with EFM’s 5 step guide to overhauling your workspace for a fresh new season.
To begin, take everything on, in or around your desk and organise it into three piles - “Yes” “Maybe” and “No”. Everything you need to be productive at your workspace, add to the “Yes” pile. “Maybe” is for those bits and pieces you don’t necessarily need but quite like - think desk decor or art prints. “No” is for those things that you definitely don’t need and are happy to donate, sell for extra cash or throw out. Don’t be sentimental at this stage. As Marie Kondo advises, hold the object in your hands and if it doesn’t “spark joy”- you don’t need it. Apply this ethos to the “maybe” pile you’ve made. Is most of your work digital and do you really need that old clunky printer that uses up paper? Go green and get rid of it. If you need to print something, there are stores to do that.
With practise, this becomes easier, and with the removal of clutter comes a clearer mind and higher productivity level, something that we all need at our workspace.
Now is the time to get elbows deep in some rigorous deep cleaning and scrubbing. Using some strong all-purpose cleaner and cloths, scrub out your desk drawers and surfaces, getting into all those corners where bacteria can breed. Go over it with a microfibre cloth once you’re done to ensure that no stubborn bits and pieces are left behind. Don’t forget to clean your desk chair, and vacuum your mats plus underneath and around your workspace.
If you knew the bugs that are lurking in your keyboard, laptop, on your phone and on your other miscellaneous desk accessories you’d be appalled, but these items often get overlooked during an express clean. Cleaning your technology is easy and you should follow specific cleaning instructions for each item to avoid damage.
For your keyboard, there’s a few ways you can get into those hard to reach places. Firstly, shake out any crumbs from those late night chocolate binges while working. Next, cleaning experts recommend using a compressed air canister for a thorough keyboard clean out. EFM stockist Officeworks sells a great compressed air product. Use a cotton pad soaked in rubbing alcohol to dab around the keys and finish with a once-over with a microfibre cloth. As rubbing alcohol dries super quickly, it’s the safest option to clean a keyboard. For your computer or laptop screen or monitor, this screen cleaner from Officeworks is cheap, anti-static and safe for your screen.
To clean your phone, we have a whole blog detailing the bugs you carry around on your favourite device, and how to clean your smartphone so it’s good as new and flu-free!
Now’s the fun part! Consider treating yourself to a few new desk accessories to make your work easier and more enjoyable, and revolutionising your storage system so everything has a place and stays neat and tidy.
Remaining organised in your home office or workspace is key to not only getting work done, but getting it done well. Pinterest is a mine for organisation fanatics who are eager to share their tidying hacks, so be sure to scroll through there. For a workspace that inspires productivity and motivation, its best to stay as minimal as possible when
Remaining organised in your home office or workspace is key to not only getting work done, but getting it done well. Pinterest is a mine for organisation fanatics who are eager to share their tidying hacks, so be sure to scroll through there. For a workspace that inspires productivity and motivation, its best to stay as minimal as possible when it comes to both essentials and personal touches. A desk with drawers or built-in storage will help to keep everything streamlined, and a large day planner tacked above your desk is a great way to stay on track throughout the day. At the end of each working day, take ten to fifteen minutes to outline your next day’s schedule. This way, you go into a new day knowing exactly what needs to be done.
Next, invest in some quality lifestyle, smartphone and device accessories that are not only attractive points of interest on your desk, but help you power through your day.
You’ll want a great Bluetooth speaker to blast your motivation tunes from, and EFM has a range of Bluetooth speakers to fit your own personal style. The Indio Bluetooth Speaker is a compact speaker with big sound that won’t take up too much space. You can even take it outside with you for those hard-earned breaks, as it has an IPX5 waterproof rating.
You’ll also need some top quality power products to keep you charged up and connected throughout the day. EFM sells a large range of tough power products, from fast charge wall chargers to power banks to durable charge and sync cables.
Our top workspace recommendation? Our bestselling Wireless Charge Pad is an inconspicuous workspace must-have that is as modern and sophisticated as it is innovative.
The final step in your spring workspace overhaul is to find a space for all your items and to organise said space so that it best reflects the can-do attitude you’re stepping into spring with.
Play around with rearranging in order to find the layout that works best for you. You can find envy-inducing inspiration for ultra-organised workspaces and desks across social media.
Do a final check, at this stage ensuring that your desk and desk chair are adjusted correctly to ensure good ergonomics. If “tech neck” is a problem for you, we have a blog that details what tech neck is, how technology affects it and how to rectify it for good spinal health.
There you have it! A spotless, beautiful workspace to be proud of.
Here’s to a productive and sunny spring!