Clean Off Your Desk Day

(Google Image) 

By Akindman,

Yep, Clean off your desk day is a real event, bemoaned celebrated every year on the second Monday in January (the 9th in 2012). As you’d expect, it means tidier desks right around the globe.

What you might not realize is that clean off your desk day 2012 is about more than dumping pre-holiday junk to start the new work year fresh. According to a report on Cleveland.com, dirty desks breed bacteria and also affect your image at work. We have re-published some of its figures below.

Counting the cost of a dirty desk:

21,000 – The number of bacteria per square inch on the typical worker’s desk (compared to 49/sq inch on the average toilet seat!).

85 – per cent of workers believe a clean desk says the owner “is on top of things.”

57 – per cent of men admit to eating meals or snacks at dirty desks.

40 – per cent of workers say they “frequently” lose paperwork due to messy desks.

One figure we would add to the list is:

3 – The number of simple steps to clean desk, according to Cymax’s handy guide to cleaning a desk.

(Google Image) 

Essentially, it comes down to taking everything off the desk, sorting the items and repopulating your workspace only with items you use daily (even some of those can be hidden in drawers or cabinets). Weekly items should be stored nearby, but off the desk. Everything else must go!