Celebrated on the second Monday of January each year, encouraging people to declutter and organize their workspaces.

History of National Clean Your Desk Day National Clean Your Desk Day is designed to herald the arrival of warmer climes and the beginning of spring, a time of year that many of us associate with cleaning, decluttering, and saying sayonara to stuff we don’t want or need.

This is a day to ensure you start the New Year with a clear head and a clean, tidy desk. If there’s junk everywhere and stacks of papers overflowing, it’s not only more difficult to find what you need, but there’s also a risk of important things getting misplaced. Tidying is an excellent habit to get into, and National Clean Your Desk Day could be the start of a brand new attitude to cleaning, filing, and conquering clutter.

Stress is a common ailment in today’s society, and working in a clean, bright, open space is proven to promote serenity and calm. What could be better than turning up to work on a gloomy Monday morning to find a pristine workstation with not a scrap of junk or a pile of paperwork in sight?

But what are the origins of the modern desk? And why does it matter?

The word desk actually comes from the Latin word desca, meaning “a table you write on,” and was first coined in the middle of the 14th century. During the middle ages, people hardly referred to “desks” at all, since the vast majority of the population worked the land. The only people who could write were legal professionals and the clergy.

By the turn of the eighteenth century, however, the term desk was finding common currency. Not only was it a feature in more and more places of work, but it was also making an appearance in the home. The head of the household would use their desk as a place to do administrative work, such as preparing accounts or writing letters.

Desks, however, didn’t have a single origin. Some manufacturers made writing tables called scriptors, which featured a panel that folded down to provide the writing surface. Others were more like cabinets – what we might call today a French bureau.

By the start of the 19th century, however, all these items were virtually the same thing, with relatively few people distinguishing between them. Some had drawers underneath for storing papers, while others stood on legs, providing the user with space to put their feet.

As the needs of enterprise and commerce became more complicated, desk management issues came to the fore. People needed office spaces that afforded the organization they needed but didn’t harm their productivity. Coming up with solutions that worked was difficult. Until the rise of the PC, the best that manufacturers could do was offer people extra drawers.

National Clean Your Desk Day ties in nicely with today’s workplace culture. Research shows that people get more done and feel less stressed when their desks are clean and tidy. It helps support wellbeing and makes long days in the office more bearable.

Source - Days of the Year.com

BlogTalkers:

Spring. What's the best part of spring? What's the worst part of spring? What does spring time mean to you? Do you get spring fever? Do you give your house a good spring cleaning? How has Daylight Saving Time changed your routine? What's the best thing about Daylight Saving Time? What's the worst? (other than the loss of time, of course - be original! :) ).

Spring makes me think of tulips and other early Spring flowers. I like the rain in Spring, it helps melt away the snow. The last of the snow is usually pretty messy looking with road dirt, salt and sand and other things contributed from people's pets. I think the only ugly thing in Spring is what is uncovered once the snow melts. One of the best things are the fresh rain and new growth, buds on trees and the grass suddenly becomes green and lush again.

I should do a Spring Cleaning. Not real keen on it. Daylight Saving wasn't too bad for me. But it will help that I have this week off. I really can't think of a best or worst for Daylight Savings time. It's only an hour after all. One good thing, it makes an excuse for being a bit late for work at least one day. Of course, it works better if you happen to live alone and there isn't anyone there to 'remind' you.

Merry Spring. That's what I say and celebrate instead of Easter. Now it's just past Beltane, also known as May Day (especially if you're about to crash in an airplane).

How do you bring the Pagan holidays into your own life? Do you light a candle at midnight and recite something from a book? Do you go outside and contemplate being skyclad if only it wasn't so cold out? Do you put some dried herbs on your altar and make new notes in your Book of Shadows? Or do you make it personal?

I wasn't in the mood to celebrate Beltane on May 1st. But today I was and so that's what I did. Today, was the 333rd birthday of the company I work for. Yes, The Hudson's Bay Company is 333 years old as of Friday, May 2nd, 2003. The company handed out watches to every employee and there were several kinds of cake, fresh fruit, coffee, muffins and other goodies. It was nice. Not because it was elaborate but because we were included.

So, today on the drive home I felt in the right mood for Beltane, the celebration of Spring. I took advantage of that. I created my own ritual on the spot, impulsively and used what was at hand where I was. Those are usually the best rituals, the ones that aren't planned and mean so much more than something taken from a book or plan.

I had my new watch as the altar, set up on the dashboard of my car. It was dark outside by the time I finished work tonight, the darkness itself became an element, I opened the car windows to let it in. I had picked a bloom from the forced bulbs for sale in the garden centre and that was another element in the ritual. Plus it smelled great. That was all I needed. I waited, enjoying the quiet as everyone else left the parking lot. Two people stopped and asked if I was having car trouble. I just said I was taking my time, enjoying the quiet.

I didn't have a lot of words. I talked about Spring, renewal, the garden, spring flowers, rain, all the things I like best about this time of year. Mostly I just enjoyed the quiet, darkness of the night and the smell of the hyacinthe bloom in my car.

Originally posted to 'BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are' newsletter, May, 3, 2003.