National Clean Off Your Desk Day: Top Tips for Creating a Productive Workspace

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Have you ever thought about how the space you work in might affect your productivity? While some people thrive in chaos, others find mess or clutter distracting. Tidying can sometimes become a form of procrastination.

The second Monday of January marks National Clean Off Your Desk Day in America and this year it falls on January 14th. Wherever in the world you live, here are our three top tips for making sure your workspace is utilised for productivity!

  1. Work in the Same Space Every Day
    While we don't expect you to add an extra study room to your home, you might find it productive to work in the same place every day. Whether that's at a desk, at the dining table, or on the sofa, making the space where you work a part of your routine will help shift your brain into 'study mode'. Some people find it enhances their focus if they wear the same clothes to study in each day (like a uniform!), listen to the same playlist each day while studying, or even light the same scented candle to create the right mood. Perhaps the repeated sounds or smells signal to the brain that it's time to get to work. Why not try out a few methods and see what works for you?
     
  2. Declutter Your Space
    You don't have to go totally KonMari, but decluttering your space may well help you focus on your studies better. So get to work and clean off that desk! While working on your spelling with Spellzone, you definitely need your computer, phone or tablet = but what else? Some of you might like taking notes or practising your spelling longhand. Learn more about using the five senses to help you remember spellings here. When you've worked out what you need, assess what you actually have in your workspace. How much of it is essential to you work? Do you have any duplicate items that are taking up space? Do you best to keep your work surface as clear as possible and to make sure everything on it has a designated space.
     
  3. Tidy Up at the End of Each Day
    Now that you've put the time and effort into creating a productive workspace, make sure you keep it that way! At the end of each session, put everything back in its designated place and make sure your work surface is clear. While this may feel like the last thing you're in the mood for, you'll be thankful that you did when you next sit down to work and there isn't any tidying to distract yourself with. And when you've finished, we suggest you reward yourself!

Are you taking part in National Clean Off Your Desk Day? If so, we'd love to see photos of your workspace. Mention us in your photos on Twitter and we'll retweet them!

We hope you have a productive and clutter-free week!


14 Jan 2019
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"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill