3 Desk Organization Tips You Can Use Today

It’s January. You’ve created vision boards, set goals, and are looking for the fresh start of a new year.  If one of your fresh (or refresh) start action items is to organize your desk, you’re in luck!  In honor of National Clean Off Your Desk Day, I’m sharing three desk organization tips to help you get your organizing on lock. Whether you’re a permanent remote worker or have an office away from home, your desk is one of the essential aspects. It’s what you and anyone else notices first.  But more than aesthetics, having a clean desk can make a world of difference for your productivity and mood. 

Before we begin, I want to note that these tips help you organize your desk or whatever serves as your workspace.  I recognize that not everyone has a home office.  I don’t either 😊 So, these tips apply to any place you have to work from, be it a kitchen or living room table, desk in your bedroom, or of course, an office.  Now let’s get to it!

Desk Organization Tip #1

Lighting

First up, let the light shine! Having the right amount of light is essential for eye health.  My go-to is using natural light from a window.  But let’s say I’m writing at night.  Desk lamp it is!  In this article by The Spruce, lighting considerations include:

• Diffusing your light source
• Dedicated task lighting for each source (i.e., dual monitors, etc.)
• Avoiding glare on the screen

Whether you prefer sunlight or a desk lamp, be sure that your light source is sufficient.  Eye strain is a risk, particularly as we tend to look at multiple electronics regularly.  For desk organizing purposes, proper lighting is a natural accent.  Have you seen the photos of desks or workspaces online?  Regardless of color scheme or furniture, proper lighting makes a desk look top-notch. 

Desk Organization Tip # 2

Décor

Now that we’ve got our light situation established, it’s time to move onto décor.  Whether in a physical office or at home, certain elements keep your desk organized with style.  For example, a plant immediately adds to life to your desk—literally!  Not a plant parent, consider an artificial plant.  I have many and used to display them on my desk and bookcase at work.  And I always was asked if they were real 😉.  Not into plants, how about desktop affirmations or other quotes.  Stores like Marshalls or Target sell inexpensive items that range for inspiration (think “trust your instincts”) or humorous (“I survived a meeting that could’ve been an email”). 

The point is that you should give your workspace a bit of unique flavor, even if it is not a permanent fixture.  By adding a few items to your desk, you build an aesthetic and thus more likely to keep it neat and tidy.

Desk Organization Tip #3

Go Digital

The world is highly digital, yet lots of writing on notepads still occur if you’re like me. That’s right! I cannot begin to tell you how many pads I’ve collected.  They come in all sizes and are—you guessed it—all around and inside my desk.  While I will never advise anyone to stop writing, my biggest challenge with multiple notepads is:

1) half-used books

2) having to look around when trying to find key information

3) clutter on/around my desk

Because of work, I have been working with electronic files for years.  So, going digital is practical.  But if you are like me and enjoy (read: need) to write, commit to jotting only a few thoughts down and transcribing them to a digital source.  This Huffington Post article suggests that you include electronic organization in your mindset of desktop organization.  Sort your documents, save to cloud storage, and reduce the paper and clutter.

Mission Accomplished, Desk Organized

There you have it.  By focusing on your lighting, décor, and digital storage, you have a point of reference to clean your desk and get organized.  Of course, there are many options for cleaning off your desk.  The point is that it is a functional and healthy space for you.  Let me know how you approach cleaning off your desk in the comments below!  Be sure to share this article with anyone who may find it useful!