Tuesday Tip: Keep Your Desk Organized

 By Yehudit Garmaise

While some people, including Albert Einstein, have said that messy desks are signs of people who do the most creative, brilliant thinking, a neat, ordered space feels more appealing and practical to many.

By carefully curating and organizing what is kept on the desk, we can often stay more productive.

Consider the following tips to create a pared-down workspace that sets the stage for more effective work.

1.      Clear off the desktop which probably has at least twice as much stuff on it than is needed on a daily basis. Take some time to consider whether each object on the desk is needed. As clutter can dramatically reduce most people’s productivity, try to keep only what is absolutely necessary. Working on a cleared-off, clean space provides a relaxed and efficient feeling. Toss clutter to give room to breathe and create.

2.      Reduce personal photos, inspirational sayings, and sentimental objects to almost nothing. Less is more. Too many photos, old cards, and little knickknacks don’t belong on the desks of serious, ambitious people and often just detract from focus and a professional image.

3.      Consider the power of “whitespace:” Savvy designers provide whitespace in their visual creations to give viewers’ eyes places to rest. A lack of whitespace, can create a crowded and overwhelmed feeling..

4.      To reduce paper clutter, transfer anything that can be stored electronically to the computer. Store important appointments, birthdays, and anniversaries on your phone, and toss your desk calendar. In addition, there is no need to retain hard copies of dictionaries and most other reference books on one's desk when it's easier to just look things up online

 5.       Put away office supplies. Paperclips, staplers, tape, and sticky notes may be necessary occasionally, but are they needed on the desktop all day long? Consider what desk supplies are really needed, and then store those essentials in a drawer for when needed.

6.      Remove everything from each desk drawer one at a time. Drawers should not be stuffed so full that they barely close. Throw away anything that serves no purpose or is being kept for sentimental reasons to make room for office supplies, books, and paper files. 

7.      Maintain a clear desktop by not allowing things to reaccumulate. Take a few moments at the end of the day to toss any trash, put things away, and file papers into folders or transfer to files online.

 8.      Before heading home or leaving your home office wipe down your laptop and workspace, where you worked, ate, and drank all day to have a fresh start the next day.