The 5-minute workspace reset is a short checklist for the parts of a workday you can actually control: a cluttered desk, a drawer with no working pen, cables that keep coming loose, a setup that has drifted out of shape and the shared drawer nobody can find anything in. It covers five areas at about a minute each, and you can tick it off on screen or print it for the team.
A tidy desk will not fix a hard week, and this guide does not pretend otherwise. It deals with the small, repeated interruptions, such as hunting for a pen before a call or reaching under the desk to plug a charger back in for the third time.
World Mental Health Day falls on Saturday 10 October, and some workplaces set aside a little time this week to look after the everyday basics together. If yours does, this reset is one simple thing a team can do in the time it takes to make a cup of tea.
Do the reset before you buy anything. Most desks and drawers already hold what people need, it is just in the wrong place. Once everything is sorted, the real gaps are easy to spot and the order is short.
From our team in Tweed Heads
Five areas, about a minute each
Set a five-minute timer if it helps, and tick each step as you go. Skip anything that does not apply to your space.
Prefer paper? Print this page (Ctrl + P or ⌘ + P) and only the checklist will print. Ticks are not saved once you leave the page.
Clear the desk surface
Desks, hot desks and reception counters
Start with what you can see. Over a week a desk collects half-finished things: printouts, mail, yesterday's mug. Each one is a small reminder of something still to do, so give it a place to go or let it go.
What helps: a desktop sorter with labelled slots, so paperwork has somewhere specific to sit.
Sort the drawer and supplies
Desk drawers and stationery cupboards
The missing pen is the classic small friction. Usually it is not missing at all. It is at the back of the drawer, under three dried-out highlighters and a stapler with no staples.
What helps: labelled desktop drawers, a box of the team's usual pen and a notebook for each person.
Settle the cables
Workstations, meeting rooms and charging points
A charger that slides off the back of the desk is a small thing until it happens every afternoon. Most cable trouble comes from leads with nothing holding them in place.
What helps: reusable hook and loop ties, self-adhesive cable clips and a cable box for the power board.
Check your setup
Desks, laptops and shared workstations
This is not a workstation assessment. It is a quick look at the things that shift over a few months without anyone noticing, like a screen that has crept lower or a laptop that has been used flat on the desk for months.
What helps: a monitor riser or laptop stand, a monitor arm for shared desks, and a wrist rest that matches your keyboard.
Reset one shared space
Staff kitchens, supply cupboards and meeting rooms
Shared spaces get messy because nobody owns them. Pick one, whether it is the shared drawer or the kitchen bench, and leave it easier for the next person who walks in.
What helps: open baskets for shared cupboards and a tea station where everything has its own spot.
When the five minutes are up
- Desk. A clear surface, with one home for loose paper.
- Drawer. Working pens only, and a short list of what to reorder.
- Cables. Daily leads clipped in place and spare leads put away.
- Setup. Screen height, keyboard and mouse checked.
- Shared space. One area labelled and stocked, with someone to look after it.
If the reset turns up a gap
Most of the reset needs nothing new. Where it does show a gap, these are nine lines we stock for each area. Details come from each product's own description.
Desk surface
Marbig Sort N Stor Desktop Organiser 8 Compartment White and Grey
A light cardboard organiser with eight open compartments in two columns of four. Marbig supplies clip-in labels for the front of each shelf, so every slot can be named for a person, team or job.
It measures 520 x 350 x 270mm, so check the space on your desk return or counter first.
View product
Drawer and supplies
Italplast 4 Drawer Office Organiser Black
Four separate drawers for stationery and small items, each with a label slot on the front. The units stack, so you can add another as storage needs grow. Australian made.
Label the drawers before you fill them, so the whole team knows where things live.
View product
Drawer and supplies
Spirax 595 Notebook A4 120 Page Side Opening Pack of 8
Side-opening A4 spiral notebooks with 120 pages ruled at 7mm. The single spiral lets each book lie flat on the desk. Eight notebooks in the pack.
One per person keeps notes in a book, rather than on loose paper around the desk.
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Drawer and supplies
Pilot Super Grip Retractable Ballpoint Pen Medium Black Box of 12
A retractable ballpoint with a rubber grip, a pocket clip and a medium black line. It takes Pilot RFNS-GG refills, so you replace the ink rather than the pen. Box of 12.
Agreeing on one standard pen for the team makes the cupboard easier to restock.
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Cables
Velcro Brand One-Wrap Reusable Ties 25 x 200mm Black Pack of 5
Hook and loop ties that wrap onto themselves for a firm hold, with no knots, tape or disposable cable ties. They suit charging cables, computer leads and extension cords. Pack of 5.
They undo and re-wrap, which helps when a desk moves or a new device arrives.
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Cables
Durable Cavoline Cable Box L Grey
A closed box that holds a 5-socket power strip and its spare cable, with outlet slots on both sides and a round opening in the lid for charging a phone. Durable lists it at 406 x 139 x 156mm.
Check your power board fits inside before you order.
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Setup
Kensington SmartFit Monitor Stand Black
A platform that lifts a monitor of up to 21 inches and 18kg to one of three set heights: 41mm, 78mm or 116mm. The space underneath can hold papers or accessories.
Check your screen size and weight against the stand's limits first.
View product
Setup
Fellowes Breyta Keyboard Wrist Rest Black 470mm
A slim 47cm silicone rest that runs the width of a full-size keyboard. It sits 1.75cm high, with a soft-touch, anti-dust top. Fellowes back it with a 5 year limited warranty.
Sized for full-size keyboards. The Breyta range also includes a palm rest and mouse pad in the same finish.
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Shared spaces
Sistema Plastic Basket Large 18.5L Grey
An 18.5L open basket with built-in carry handles. You can pull it out like a drawer, carry it between rooms and wipe it clean, which suits shared cupboards and shelves.
Add a label to the front of each basket so the contents stay obvious to everyone.
View productKeep the follow-up order simple
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Put the gaps into one order
Collect what the reset turned up across the team and send it as one order. Free standard delivery applies to eligible orders over $149.95 to most ACT, NSW, QLD and VIC metro areas.*
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Check sizes before you order
Risers, monitor arms and cable boxes list their dimensions and limits on the product page. A quick check against your desk, screen and power board is worth doing first.
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Ask for a quote on volume
If you are setting up several desks or sites the same way, use Add to Quote or Bulk Enquiry on the product page, or talk to our team.
*Bulky items, hardware, regional and remote deliveries are excluded. See shipping and delivery information for full details.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 5-minute workspace reset?
A 5-minute workspace reset is a short checklist for tidying the parts of a workspace that cause small, repeated interruptions. It covers five areas at about a minute each: the desk surface, the drawer and supplies, cables, your screen and keyboard setup, and one shared space such as a kitchen or supply cupboard.
Do we need to buy anything to do the reset?
No. Most of the reset is sorting, recycling and moving things to a better spot. If it shows a real gap, such as no working pens or nowhere safe for a power board, add it to one list and order it together.
Can we do the reset as a team?
Yes. Some teams pick a set time, such as a Friday afternoon, and everyone resets their own desk while one or two people take a shared space. Print the checklist so each person has a copy to tick off.
How do I print just the checklist?
Print this page with Ctrl + P on Windows or ⌘ + P on a Mac. The print layout shows only the checklist, without the product picks and links.
Does free delivery apply to small follow-up orders?
Free standard delivery applies to eligible orders over $149.95 to most ACT, NSW, QLD and VIC metro areas. Bulky items, hardware, regional and remote deliveries are excluded. See our shipping and delivery information for full details.
Five minutes for the small stuff
Clear the desk, sort the drawer, settle the cables, check your setup and leave one shared space better than you found it. If the reset shows something missing, our team can help you find the right product.
Mega Office Supplies helps Australian workplaces, from small offices to schools, keep the everyday essentials covered, from our Tweed Heads team and our suppliers' warehouse network nationwide.
