You spend over 35 hours sat there every week, and yet somehow there’s never time to take proper care of your desk. Often they end up being cluttered, impractical, and uninspiring spaces, when they should be the absolute opposite. Here, we give you some ideas for a total desk makeover. It might just make your working week that little bit happier!

Clearance

First thing’s first: get rid of the non-essentials. If you haven’t used that blue highlighter pen by now, you never will. Be brutal with your stationary cull, because there won’t be another one for a long time after. Don’t just chuck things away; see if colleagues can use anything you no longer need. Otherwise, return things to the stationary cupboard like a good employee!

Ergonomics

Now’s the time to sort the ergonomics of your desk. Especially if you find you’re squinting, leaning into your screen, or leaning away from it, you’re doing something wrong. In basic terms, you should be sitting up straight, your eyes level with the top of your computer screen. If you have a health and safety officer at your workplace, organize for them to come round and sort you out. It may be that a new chair or even new desk is in order. If you feel like a change of scenery, maybe it’s time to desk-swap with a colleague, so you’ve both got a fresh view.

Cleaning

Supposing you don’t need a new desk, give the old one a good scrub from top to bottom. Make sure the whole surfaced is cleaned, which will mean putting your computer to one side for a moment. In fact, while your computer is elsewhere, take the opportunity to give that a good clean too. As well as wiping the screen, get all the dust and crumbs out of the keyboard. Then vow never to eat a sandwich over it again! Oh, and from now on keep anti-bac wipes for refreshing the desk every couple of days.

Rebuild

The time has come to start putting things back. But don’t just put stationary exactly where it was before. Plan it out this time. Keep all non-essentials in drawers and trays elsewhere. Keep pens and pencils in a mug or holder (one should be enough). Generally speaking, keep things away from either side of your keyboard, so you’ve more space to type. It might be time to treat yourself to a new mouse mat too (oh the unbridled joy!).

Embellish

With the essentials in place, it’s time to add a little inspiration to your desk. Don’t go overboard by cluttering it, but just do a little here and there. A small pot plant will add a little colour, as will a bowl of sweets or fruits, or mini gumball machine. Keep Post-it notes and other messages on a little clip stand, so they’re not spread all over the desk. If you’ve got loads of photos or pictures by the kids, get a pin board and hang it over the desk to create your own gallery.