How to Organize Your Desk at Work

How to Organize Your Desk at WorkHow to Organize Your Desk at WorkYour office desk is often a reflection of your personality and habits. Some workspaces are sparse and orderly. Others are colorful and highly personalized. Then there are those cubicles that are so cluttered, you wonder how any work can get done there. Organize your desk? Bring in a forkliftRegardless of your preferences or inclinations, your workstation should be set up for the best time management, productivity and, yes, comfort. After all, whether you work in a cubicle or a private office, you may spend more time at your desk than you do in your own bed.If youre frequently overwhelmed by disorderly files, stacks of paperwork and general disarray, what better time than now is there to do something about it.Here are eight suggestions for how to organize your desk1. Triage your stuffYour physical desktop is prime real estate, and you probably dont need half the stuff thats taking up valuable space. Heres a method for c ulling your things On Monday morning, remove nonessential items from your desktop and put them on the floor. As you get busy working, put back on your desk only what you need for completing each task. At the end of the week, find a new home for anything still on the floor - a drawer, supply closet or even the recycling bin.2. Go with your workflowMany people have a left-to-right tendency. This means incoming items - telephone, inbox, computer, other devices - on the left, a clear workspace in the middle, and outgoing items such as staplers and completed paperwork on the right. The best way to organize your desk depends on how you operate. Experiment with various arrangements until you find one that feels natural and streamlined for you.Looking to start anew with a fresh workspace at a different company? See what positions we place at Robert Half.3. Save the spaceWhen you need to sign or spread out paperwork but dont have empty space, your stress level can increase. Designate a se ction of your desk as a no-parking zone, and get into the habit of not letting things sit there while you arent working on them. This clean-up tip may require you to think vertically, such as getting a wall shelf and using it to house non-essential files and other items.4. Reduce visual clutterEven if the desktop itself is orderly, you may not be as efficient as you want to be if there are too many things competing for your attention. For example, some workers love sticky notes, putting them on their desks and around their computer monitors. One or two are fine. But when you have too many, they become a distraction and make it hard to concentrate on whats truly important.5. Add a personal touchThough clean, your workspace need not be sterile. Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, is a fan of items that give people joy. Put a few meaningful objects - photos, cartoons, inspirational quotes or a favorite action figurine - on your wall, bulletin hauptplatine or desktop. But keep them to a minimum, or else your desk will look too messy and possibly unprofessional.6. Go digitalPaper is still the biggest culprit of cluttered workspaces. If you havent done so already, migrate your calendar, to-do list and memo pad to your computer - and sync them with your smartphone for greater accessibility and utility. The beauty of digital productivity tools is that they come with notification options, so you can set up alerts for meetings, appointments and tasks.7. Check under your deskDont underestimate the importance of leg room. All those cords and cables under your desk dont just contribute to the mayhem - theyre also a safety hazard. Use Velcro wraps and cord tamers to prevent tangles and give your feet more wiggle room. And if youre using the floor to store stacks of files, move them to a filing cabinet or, better yet, digitize them and shred the papers.8. Wipe it downKeep a few supplies handy and get into the habit of giving your desk, keyboard, monitor and phone regular cleanings. Sitting down to a fresh-smelling, dust-free work area improves your mood and boosts your productivity.Why know how to organize your desk?An organized workspace is not a magical time saver, but it helps you get more done, because you know where everything is, arent overwhelmed by visual distraction and can focus on the task at hand. Plus, an organized desk helps create positive mental energy that can spread to your enthusiasm for your daily duties.Subscribe to the Robert Half newsletter for articles and resources to help you build a successful career. Click below to sign up todaySUBSCRIBE NOW