Spring has arrived. It’s that time of the year when once upon a time spring cleaning was the source of household activity. Some researchers attribute the origins to the Iranian Norouz, the Persian new year, which is also the first day of spring. Tradition was that Iranians would “shake the house” prior to and in anticipate of the new year.
Closer to home, a colloquial version is to “redd up,” like the verb, to rid, meaning “clear, put in order, clean up.” If you’ve ever lived or passed through Pittsburgh, PA, you’ve probably heard this expression!
I’d like to apply the concept of redding up to getting your work-related house in order. I’m sure many of you have ancient piles of paper or woefully accumulated emails in your inbox or something that isn’t organized as well as you’d like.
This may have been compounded during the pandemic as many people were (and still are) working on a hybrid basis from both home and office. What can you do now to make some improvement and reboot your productivity at the same time?
As you go through this process, if you haven’t already done so, this is a great time to start to shift your filing system from paper files to the cloud. Whether you use OneDrive or Dropbox or other cloud based systems, this will not only reduce the physical paper you manage, but you will have access to your files whether you’re working from the office or from home.
Refreshing your workspace can make a difference not just in your physical productivity, but in your mental productivity. Clearing the material will lighten your cerebral load in ways that will surprise you.
Don’t use the concept of a major overhaul as a procrastination tactic for more substantial and important projects! Break down your cleanup project into manageable pieces and set a timeline for completion. Or, If the thought simply overwhelms you, hire a professional organizer to help you wade through it.
I wish you success as you tackle the redding up process!
Header image by Sharon McCuthcheon/Unsplash.
