Actually sitting down to revise or get through some much-needed work can be the hardest step. But if you go to sit down and find a messy workspace, you can begin to feel disheartened and less motivated to work. Clear workspace, clear mind! So, here are a few tips on how to best organise your student workspace so you can be as productive as possible.
Spring Clean
If your desk hasn’t seen a duster for quite some time, you might want to begin with a quick spring clean. Dust everything down, clean the surfaces and just make everything generally shinier. Doing this once a week will take less than ten minutes in total and will stop dirt from gathering at all. It may sound like an unimportant job, but it is these little changes that can truly make the difference, and is one of the best ways to organise your student workspace.
After aesthetic cleaning, you may want to go through everything on and in your desk. There will be lots of things you once thought you may need but simply never use; these things can be thrown away. Be brutal. This is your workstation, not a shelf.
This also includes that junk drawer that we all have. It may seem easy to just close it and forget about it but, for you to fully focus on your work and be free from clutter, this needs to be addressed.
Arm’s Length
Once your desk is clear, you are going to need to put some things back on it. However, this doesn’t mean everything goes back. Use the rule of ‘arm’s length’. Anything that you may need a lot such as a pen, pencil, notepad, laptop charger, etc., these things can be on your desk.
But items such as novelty rubbers, staplers, and more important your phone, they can all be put into a drawer off to the side or even better, in another room. The last thing you want is to sit down and get productive and then get distracted by your phone or a cute bunny rubber.
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Wrangle The Wires
If you’re lucky, your desk doesn’t have that many wires around it. But, for some people, it can be like a whole city of rouge wires sprouting from here and there. This can become a real pain when you need to unplug one wire and must sift through a multitude of random ones to find the one you need.
Take one day to organise these wires and maybe even tie some together so you know where they lead to. Most desks come with a circular hole in the corner in order to funnel wires through, so be sure to use that to minimise the wire stress.
If you can’t be bothered with all this, even just using some tape to collect the wires and stick them to the side of the desk can be helpful. This gets them out the way of your feet and allows you to sit more comfortably.
Decorate!
Finally, a workspace doesn’t have to be boring. You can decorate it with whatever makes you happy. There is always room for a picture of those close to you, whether that is friends, family or a pet. Having pictures makes the environment feel more welcoming and tailored to you specifically.
If you don’t want people looking at you, there are many amazing artists on Etsy that have framed prints just waiting to be snapped up and hung on your wall. You can find a bunch of perfect art for your workspace walls that will inspire you to keep going.
Bottom line is, this is your area, so make it look and feel the best to you. You want to be able to be productive whilst also feeling as stress free as you can.
