If you, like most Americans, found yourself at home much more than usual over the last year, there’s no doubt you also noticed more of the clutter and disorganization. If you are also now a work from home employee, you may feel the impact of this new work set-up amidst the disorganization and clutter result in decreased productivity and feelings of unexplained anxiety. As we move beyond the “let’s get through this” mentality and nestle into the “new normal” flow of things, we’d like to offer some tips to optimize your home workspace to increase productivity, job satisfaction, and improve your general outlook on the whole situation.
Define Your Workspace
It is recommended to have a separate office space for working to compartmentalize work away from your family or living space in an effort to produce a better work-life balance. While we would all like a dedicated home office to work in, if you are adjusting to a new pandemic-induced work from home situation, chances are, you didn’t have an office set up at home. Many Americans are facing the unique challenge of both adults working from home while also helping their children attend school at home — and what home has that many home offices?
If you’ve been forced to set up your workspace in your bedroom, your dining room, or another common living area, it is still important to define that workspace. Separate it from life so that you don’t find yourself rolling out of bed to check emails or cooking dinner while attending your Zoom call. We recommend shutting your computer down when you log out for the end of the workday to prevent the temptation of checking in. Try a few of these tips to keep your workspace defined:
- Use your own desk or table, avoid setting other items on it.
- Don’t eat in your workspace.
- If your workspace is in your bedroom, cover it at night while you sleep and power down your computer.
Key takeaway – if you can’t use a dedicated office, attempt to make your workspace as dedicated as possible. Keep it decluttered and reminiscent of your office workspace.
Keep It Tidy
Keeping your workspace tidy has been proven to help with focus and productivity. If your desk was cluttered and distracting at work, now that your workspace is at home, there is no better time to clean it up! File paper, reduce the number of decorative items, dust and clean, and get rid of trash, mugs, etc. At the beginning of each day, ensure your workspace is neat enough to work in, and at the end of each day clean up anything that may have collected in the space.
To optimize desktop organization, we suggest keeping things off your main working space. Utilize cabinets, filing drawers, and shelving units. To keep your desk free of distractions, limit the number of papers hanging in view. Instead, use Rolodex or binders to keep all of your information organized and handy, while reducing clutter. Better yet, go green by going paperless, and upgrade your organization to electronic means!
Key takeaway- keep your workspace clear of clutter. A clean desk promotes better focus and productivity.
Disinfect Regularly
It’s not enough to simply keep your workspace clutter-free, it’s also important to disinfect regularly. Disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including your writing utensils, mouse, keyboard, desk, and chair, will help prevent illness that may cause you to miss work. We also recommend washing your hands regularly — at every break you take!
Key takeaway – disinfect your desk daily and wash your hands often.
At Clean Bees, we are here to help keep your home and your office clean, whether they are two different places or one-in-the same. Four routine cleaning services or one-off deep cleans, we’ve got you covered! Connect with us online to view our different options and schedule your custom quote today.
