Spring Cleaning Tips for your Workspace

After months of record-breaking snow storms and brutal cold—it’s finally the first day of spring! What better time to get your workspace in order? Come out of organization hibernation with these tips.

Tackle the paper monster

The concept of the “paperless office” is a nice thought, but a more reasonable goal is probably “as paperless as possible”. Go through your files and piles and start dividing into three sections.

1. Trash. Either you simply don’t need it anymore or you already have a digital copy.
2. Digitize. You don’t need a hard copy, but you do need the document itself. You can either do this the old fashioned way with a scanner, or use an app like Evernote to scan with your smart phone.
3. Keep. That particular hard copy is something you need. Make sure you have a digital copy just for peace of mind, and file it somewhere safe.Don’t forget to shred anything sensitive before recycling.

Cluttered desk? Use the breadbox test

If it’s bigger than a breadbox (or, say, a shoebox), it needs a home. Either put it in a drawer or a container to keep clutter under control. If your drawers start to get out of control, try using dividers to keep things organized and neat.

Still feel messy? Sometimes if we look at clutter for long enough it can be difficult to determine where the specific problems are. Snap a picture with your smart phone and analyze the photo rather than staring at your space.

Purge your devices

Computers can get even more cluttered than your desk. To clear out what you don’t need without investing hours, use a disk space analyzer like Grand Perspective  for OS X or WinDirStat for Windows. These programs will give you a visual of what’s taking up the most hard drive space so you can easily delete what you don’t need.

As far as contact lists go, auto sync can get pretty messy. There are a bunch of apps out there to help you clean up your contact list, but I prefer the free method—manually. It takes more time, but it ensures you won’t lose anything you need

Refresh your web presence and resume

Log onto your LinkedIn profile and answer those question prompts. Fill in anything you may have forgotten to add in the past few months, and pay back any endorsements you’ve received. Go through your suggested contacts and add whoever you know. An up-to-date network is a happy network.

And don’t forget to update your physical resume. The next time you need it, you’ll be happy you did.

Get into a routine

1. Disinfect regularly. Did you know your keyboard and phone have more bacteria than a toilet seat? Disinfect them weekly to minimize the amount of harmful microbes you’re putting your hands on. Offices in general can be illness incubators, so it’s probably a good idea to keep hand sanitizer close by.
2. Stay on top of rogue papers. Keep them separate in their own file or organizer and go through them regularly to avoid being buried in documents.
3. Develop a filing system. Sit down and determine what types of documents need their own file subjects, then divide and conquer. Use filing cabinets, binders, file boxes—whatever you prefer.

What tips do you have to keep your workspace sparkling? Tell us in the comments!