A tidy desk ensures a tidy head. And that is of course indispensable for knowledge workers. Tidy desks often quickly become a mess again because they are not used efficiently. How do you organize your desk as efficiently as possible?
Clear out what you don't use
Many desks have all kinds of office supplies, such as staplers, hole punchers and pen trays full of extra pens that are rarely used. This is unnecessary noise. Make sure that all items have their own place, for example in a drawer unit or cupboard that you can reach with a turn of your office chair.
Hide the router out of sight
Hide routers out of sight, but within reach. This way you don't have to worry about everything working properly, but you can easily take action if a problem arises with your internet connection. You can use the same principle for other electronics that you probably don't need often, but sometimes acutely, such as external hard drives and USB sticks.
Keep 1 writing pad at hand.
Many desks are full of loose post-it notes and other notepads with something written on them. Collect these notions, decide what to do with them and deal with them. In the future, write down your notes in one notebook that you keep next to you and process them regularly: once a day, week or whatever suits you. This prevents a proliferation of loose sheets.
Organize your desk drawers
A desk may seem tidy, but it actually isn't. Desk drawers and/or drawer units that are a mess do not contribute to the tidy feeling. Organize your drawers so that you know where to find everything, for example by using each drawer for a specific type of item. You can of course also have a junk drawer, but make sure you clean it out regularly!
Tidy up every day
When you have finished your work, take a few minutes to tidy up your desk before leaving. This way you start every day with a 'clean desk'!
