Do you ever feel uncomfortable working when things are all around you and it’s all getting out of hand? I sometimes experience where all the papers are all around my table and you could hardly see a space to place. This happens mostly on deadlines and when I multi-task — yeah, I know I am not the only one. *wink* It is common to a lot of work places especially if you are dealing with paper works every day.
When it comes to organizing stuff, I often skip that. I hate decluttering things especially if I think that they are all important. But sometimes, you just have no choice but to put away all the these things — except for documents which are solely for company use and “literally” can be used for future references.
In order to put these things in its proper place (meaning, the “Garbage”) and to also tidy up our whole office, we always schedule a General Cleaning every end of the year. It falls usually before the Christmas holiday starts — at around December 13-24. It is not just “to clean our office” but to also welcome the new year ahead. Of course, we do not want to start the year not feeling fresh and comfortable in our workplace. It is also a custom in Japan called, “Oosouji” meaning “a big cleaning.” In Oosouji, there is an important part called, “Susuharai” meaning dust cleaning. Every time we do this, we always clean the deepest part of our office — the corners, the desks, the appliances, and the comfort room. We also declutter the things that are not needed anymore.
After we finished the Oosouji, we always follow it with a sumptuous lunch with all our employees and bosses. This time, we had it in IMC Kavino which is located in the Center Stage building. The food was great and we definitely fueled up our energy from the general cleaning that we just had.
Last 2018, our Oosouji taught us how to let go of the things that are helpful to us before but not anymore beneficial in the future. It is like how we deal with life everyday. Sometimes, letting go is causing us too much pain but doing so makes us stronger and ready for embracing a new beginning.
Lastly, cleaning the work place should not just happen every end of the year. It must be maintained and to be practiced every day. One must remember that a clean workplace is a place where you could focus more on your work and can do better not only for the company, but also for yourself. *wink*