With the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of the working population had begun adopting the work from home model to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Given this change, a lot of us have also started creating our own version of the office workspace. The difference? We do this from the comfort and confines of our homes.
As heightened social distancing and community lockdowns around the world show no signs of stopping soon, the rest of the world is expected to continue with this work setting for the foreseeable future.
But with over half a year into working from home, some of us might already be dealing with dirty and messy home office spaces — something that could affect productivity and worse, be the source of virus-causing germs at home.
In this cleaning guide, we’ll show you the many different ways to clean and organize your home office. From doing quick fixes to easy hacks that you can stick to on a daily basis — keeping your workspace extra tidy, germ-free and conducive to productivity.
1. Clean and organize one section at a time
If you’re dealing with a messy and disorganized workspace, the idea of cleaning can seem extra daunting. But it’s important to remember that you are not required to clean everything up all at once. You can do this by organizing your work table one day, and decluttering your cabinet the next day.
To make things a lot easier, you can build the daily habit of cleaning up after every scrap or clutter at the end of every day. While it may seem very insignificant, sticking to this routine every day can have a great effect on your total pile of things to declutter at the end of every week. Not only can it save you more time and energy, but it should also help you provide a sense of professionalism in your own workspace. After all, you’re doing all of this for a living!
2. Wipe everything on a daily basis
Since you are spending 8-10 hours a day in this space, it’s important to keep it 100% clean and germ-free. That’s why before or after working every day, you need to disinfect everything by using a gentle disinfectant spray or all-purpose cleaner.
Simply spray a generous amount of the cleaner on a clean cloth and wipe through each surface and corner of your work table and cabinet. You can also give some of your work items some cleaning action to make everything squeaky clean and germ-free.
You can allot 10-15 minutes every day for this process and it should be enough to keep everything neat and tidy. You don’t even have to follow a standard office cleaning routine for this — just a few sprays and swipes and you’re good to go!
3. Label and file everything properly
Most of the time, clutter is produced by the improper handling of papers, pens and different files in a desk space. But on the flipside, preventing it from happening is also fairly easy.
To make sure this never happens to you, label every document and file them in storage boxes or drawers — anything that can store them in a neat and organized manner. Afterwards, store them away in an area that is accessible to you whenever you need any of them for work.
By doing this, you can reduce the amount of clutter in your workspace — and cut off on the total amount of time and effort that you will put into cleaning and organizing.
4. Go digital as much as possible
Aside from lending the environment a helping hand, digitizing your documents can cut the amount of clutter and trash that you produce on a daily and weekly basis.
Paper documents such as bills, contracts and receipts can quickly stack up, leaving you with a mountain pile of paperwork before you even know it.
To go fully digital, invest on cloud-based storage websites or workspace tools that can hold your files for eternity.
5. Practice consistency and discipline!
Sure, cleaning your own workspace can be therapeutic and habit-building, but at the end of the day practicing consistency and discipline should make for more time and effort saved during cleaning.
By sticking to these tiny habits and cleaning must-dos, you will be able to preserve your workspace and work on your tasks efficiently and effectively.