Can you believe 2020 is ending soon?! As we enter a new year, many of us are still working remotely. We know working from home can still be challenging for a number of reasons; the lack of change in routine, staying in one spot for long hours, and trying to separate “work” time from “home” time.
One simple but effective way to make the #WFH life easier is to spice up your workspace and make it inspiring! You’d be surprised what an impact it can have on productivity to work in a space that is organized and PRETTY.
Joanne Ly is the founder of Minima Basics, a boutique business offering desk organizers to help cut the clutter and design your dream workspace. Here are some of Joanne’s top tips on how to keep your desk tidy and inspiring!
Cut the Clutter, Keep only the Basics
Most people can’t work on a desk that is disorganized and messy, because it disrupts your creativity and inspiration. One of our go-to quotes is, “Clear Desk, Clear Mind, or Tidy Desk, Tidy Mind”!
One way to combat clutter is to only have the essentials on your desk. Keep everything you actually need and the rest can stay elsewhere. Some items can include: 1 notepad, 1 pen, your laptop and mouse (optional), a notebook and nothing else.
If you have more you want to keep on your desk, just make sure it has a secure home and is neatly stored, so it’s out of sight, out of mind. We recommend our pen holder and storage box if you have a lot of notepads, sticky notes, agendas and pens!
Take Something Out? Put it Back Where it Was
This is one habit we love to follow to keep a tidy workspace: If you remove something from its spot on your desk, put it back the moment you’re finished with it! Or at the very least, give your space a quick tidy right before you get up from your desk to grab some lunch or take a stretch.
Here’s the idea, the more often you do quick tidies throughout the day, the less you’ll have to clean at the end of the day, when you’ll most likely be too tired to clean at all. The next morning, you’ll be greeted with a gorgeous, clean and motivating space!
Keep your Papers in One Place
Let’s face it, papers can get EVERYWHERE, and there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to hunt for an important document in a pile of loose sheets. That’s why it’s important to give your important papers a special home that is easily accessible. Our advice is to keep a separate organizer just for your documents. We recommend our acrylic 3 slots file holder!
Pro tip: You don’t need to purchase 3 separate file holders; just get one that has three compartments: One for your important mail, another for your important contracts, and a third for your least-important or least-reached documents (appliance guarantee, leases, etc.).
Oh, and of course, whatever documents you don’t need, recycle regularly.
Design your Perfect Workspace
Cleaning and decluttering is obviously an important step, but now for the fun stuff! After decluttering and keeping your place tidy, it’s time to make it truly yours. Add pretty art prints to your wall, a cozy scented candle, small plants or succulents, and voila!
Adding personal touches will make you happy to get up every day to “go to work” at home. As we love to say in Minima Basics: Make your workspace a happy place!
Just be sure not to add too much that it becomes busy. We recently added a workspace style series blog, where we showcase three styles: warm & grounded, femme, and minimal. Go check it out so you can style your desk and get creative!
At Minima Basics, we aim to inspire and elevate women to stay organized, productive, and motivated so they can stay on top of their goals.
With that, we make desk organizers that are minimal and essential for your dream home office. If you liked our tips and tricks on how to keep your work area tidy and inspiring, and want more ideas like this, say hi!
Follow us on Instagram @minimabasics and visit our website to know more about us and to get more fun content around making your home office a dreamy oasis.
