Keeping a Comfortable and Uncluttered Workspace While Working from Home
By Yasmine van Gemert
This article originally appeared in Sutton Place Social
As the world adjusts to the sudden life changes forced upon us by COVID-19, one question seems to be on everyone’s mind: Can you work comfortably and efficiently from home? How can you be productive if surrounding chaos causes discomfort and stress?
Maintaining physical and mental health is challenging enough. Here are some suggestions to help facilitate productive workdays and remain comfortable while doing so:
1- If there is no designated office in the home, find space in a room that has good light, an optimal work surface, and a chair, preferably not in the bedroom. That way, it will feel more like “going to work” or “being ready for work.” You’ll go stir crazy if you’re in the same room morning to night!
2- To set up the office zone, it’s important to have an uncluttered area. Clutter can be mentally and physically overwhelming and not conducive to working efficiently. First, clear the table surface of everything and put back only what is necessary to work, such as a laptop, notepad, pens, phone, and laptop cords, etc. Avoid keeping these items on your desk surface: unopened mail, magazines, unsorted or unfiled papers, and dishes or bags of snack food (a coffee cup is fine). You’re likely to avoid work and tend to these personal items if they’re left out and visible.
3- Clearing clutter also applies to the desktop of one’s computer or laptop. If there are 30-50 file icons and shortcuts scattered on the home screen—leaving your background image barely visible—you won’t be able to locate important files or folders needed for work. Start by consolidating desktop files and images into separate folders, e.g.: Personal Bills, Work Invoices, Contracts, Personal Photos, etc. Delete any file or shortcut that is no longer relevant or required. Keep work folders separate from personal folders if both must be on the desktop.
4- If lots of paperwork is being generated, it’s advisable to purchase an inexpensive portable or rolling file system that can be tucked under the desk to minimize the accumulation of paperwork sitting on the tabletop. It helps to have a designated place for papers that are easily retrievable and won’t encroach onto the desk or table surface.
5- Finally, it’s important to leave the workspace as tidy as you found it (or tidier) at the top of your day. Take 5 minutes to put away accumulated files and clear away your coffee mug, water bottle, or any other items that may have migrated to the tabletop. That way, each day will be a fresh, uncluttered start where the focus begins with work.
Yasmine van Gemert is an organizer, move manager, and inventory expert at Seriatim, Inc.