Expert Office Advice

Your desk is an important aspect of your workplace. After all, it is the place where you spend the majority of your time. There are many ways to make your desk more appealing and personal. When you personalise your work area, you make it a more pleasant and inspiring place to be. Often people are more productive when they feel comfortable and happy in their working environment. Therefore, making improvements to your desk may result in better performance at work. Even if you don’t experience an increase in productivity, you can still enjoy your new and improved work space.

First, make sure you understand the policies of your workplace. Some companies allow personal items to be displayed on desks, others don’t. If you work for yourself or work at home, this is not an issue. The first thing you should do when personalising your desk is clear everything off of it and empty all the drawers. You want to start with a clean slate. Once your desk is empty, you can go through all your papers and belongings. Toss anything you don’t need, take care of any urgent matters and create a filing system for papers that need to be kept or dealt with at a later date. Some people file by date, others file alphabetically. It’s not important how you file; it’s important that the filing system you develop makes sense to you and is easy to use.

After you’ve cleared the clutter, it’s time to think about how you want your desk to look. It’s likely your desk holds a computer, a telephone and perhaps even other office equipment like a printer or fax machine. These items are necessities, of course. Make sure they’re positioned in a comfortable, efficient way. Then you can begin adding the little touches that make your desk truly yours. Personal photos of loved ones are the perfect way to make your desk your own. Limit your photographs to no more than three if you’re arranging them in frames on your desk. If you have a corkboard beside your desk where you can hang unframed snapshots, you may be able to get away with more than three.

If you’ve got the space, incorporate the four elements into your work area. A scented candle can give the warmth of fire as well as the benefit of aromatherapy. Houseplants can provide earth and air, while a fish bowl or battery operated desk fountain brings water. Balancing these elements in your workspace can make you feel more balanced and encourage positive energy. Keep your small items like paper clips and staples in an organizational tray designed to hold them. Store pens and pencils in a favorite can, cup or jar. You can make your own custom pencil and pen holder by covering an empty can (that doesn’t have sharp edges) with pretty wrapping paper.

Another fun idea is to make copies of favorite comic strips, jokes and inspirational quotes and tape them somewhere you’ll see them while you’re working. If you’re in a cubicle and are surrounded by walls, this should be quite easy to accomplish. Another way to bring whimsy to your desk is with a fun desk calendar. These small calendars come in many varieties. For example, you’ll find favorite cartoon and comic strip character calendars, joke calendars, inspirational quote calendars, trivia calendars and much more.

Finally, find an area of your desk where you can stash treats and pick-me-ups. If you’ve got drawer space, use it. Or, use a small basket on top of or underneath your desk. Ideas for items to stash include trial size bottles of fragrant hand lotion, single size herbal tea bags, wrapped candies, magazines or books to read during your break and a stress relieving squishy ball to squeeze when you get tense. These simple items can offer comfort and luxury when you need it the most. Simple touches like these can make your desk a great place to be!