Have you just arrived at work and walked towards your desk? Is your desk a mess?

Do you return to more clutter than you remember leaving in the first place?

Don’t let your messy workplace obstruct your ability to get your work done.

Tidiness=Productivity

If your desk is a mess, you don’t have space to work nor any room for creativity.

Is a CEO’s desk a mess? Probably not! So here are 5 top tips to keep your desk clear of clutter and ready to work:-

1. Have a physical inbox

We all have email inboxes, yet many people no longer have a physical one on their desk.

You need one designated place for incoming papers to reside. Otherwise they will scatter all over the exiting other documents on your desk.

Watch out for those 3-tier desk trays. The ‘In’ and ‘Out’ trays are fine – it’s the ‘Pending’ tray that often holds the problems – it’s all too easy to post stuff in here that you’re not yet dealing with. If you have one, try relabelling it as the ‘Things I’m delaying!’ tray.

2. De-clutter

Do you really need all those knick-knacks, executive toys, business cards, spare pens and other office accessories lying all over your desk? Unless they serve a purpose, get them off your work surface.

You don’t have to go the extreme of creating a sterile workplace, but the rule should be if you’re not using it, move it off your desk.

3. Never put rubbish down

Whether it’s a piece of paper or a food wrapper, never set rubbish down. Get in the habit of holding it in your hand until you reach a waste bin. Don’t want to put rubbish on your desk and forget about it. As well, that half-empty cup of coffee is an accident waiting to happen!

4. Take a picture

Do you have items on your desk that are just simply for reference? A battery, or ink cartridge that you need to replace? A clipping or article? Or a list of names?

Instead of leaving these items on our desk, take a picture of them with your phone. You will be more likely to have your phone with you when you need to reference the item.

5. When in doubt throw it out!

The reality is unless it’s something ‘official’ like your business accounts, you’ll never need 95% of the papers that you’re saving. So when in doubt, throw it out!

Take that folder on your shelf – when did you last refer to the items in it – not when you think you may one day look, but when did you actually use something from that folder? If not in the last three months, then get rid!

Many people have folders packed full of ‘reference’ documents that they’ve long forgotten about. They decided that it was so important to keep, yet they can’t tell you what it is!

If you do need a hard copy, then make sure you have a good filing/indexing system to put it where you know where to quickly locate it.

Visit the Creativedge ‘Top 10 Tips’ mobile App available for iPhone and Android smartphones:-

Appstore – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/top-10-tips/id796349890?mt=8

Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elixsoft.creativedge