By Donna Marrin
Is there anything more invigorating than working in an environment that you’ve clutter-busted? (Well, ok, yes, getting somebody else do the clutter-busting is a lot more invigorating, but that’s not our goal here. You’re on a budget, remember?)
Nurse Ratched
If you’ve been avoiding the big cleanout like it’s an Ebola plague, then I’m your Nurse Ratched and I’m here to give you your booster shot. I challenge you right now to:
- Dig your calendar out from under the pile of refuse on your desk.
- Choose one afternoon and one morning in the very near future that you know you can commit to.
- Write Cleaning Day there in bold, black marker.
(Keep in mind, you may need more than one afternoon and one morning, depending on your level of hoarding.)
Got your new goal clear in your mind? Good.
4. Now, get back to work.
***
Cleaning Day has arrived!
Hope you dressed comfortably—that means no seams that are pulling or stiletto heels1. …Ok. Enough stalling. Chug your coffee and let’s get to work.
Day 1
1. Transfer everything on top of your desk onto the floor.
2. Empty your drawers (your desk drawers) and make another pile on the floor.
3. Make a third pile on the floor by removing everything that you’ve jammed into your wall or book shelves. (For obvious reasons, you are not permitted to set fire to the massive pile on the floor, even though it would be tempting to
4. Use a good cleaner to scrub down your entire desk and eliminate all the coffee rings, ink splotches and remnants of Bolognese sauce left over from dinner at your desk the other night. Clean your keyboard tray as well.
5. Next, wipe all the chip and cookie crumbs from inside your desk drawers. While you’re at it, use a can of pressurized air to blow out all the snack bits you’ve dropped into your computer keyboard over the past year.
6. Finally, sweep away the thick carpet of dust from your shelving (Wow! It’s not matte grey; it’s black acrylic!). No, you’re not done yet… Get a stepladder and do the ones at the top too, even though they’re eye level only to the NBA’s Yao Ming.
Ah, are you starting to smell the freshness? Spring is truly in the air! All right. That was the easy part. Go home and rest, and we’ll tackle the part you’ve been dreading in the morning…
Stay tuned for Part Two, Day Two tomorrow!
1Note the shoes Nurse Ratched wore in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s 
Nest. They are considered comfortable shoes when you need to clean or manage crazy people.
Donna Marrin is a freelance Senior Writer/Editor specializing in corporate communications and advertising. She also founded and runs the Markham Village Writers. You can visit their website at www.markhamvillagewriters.com