This article was co-authored by Melissa Maker and by wikiHow staff writer, Mason Martinez, BA. Melissa Maker is host and editor of CleanMySpace, a YouTube channel and blog with over 1 million subscribers. She has over 10 years of professional cleaning experience, and dispenses helpful tips on all things home.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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For students and office professionals, a desk is where you spend nearly half of your waking hours. A messy desk can lead to decreased focus and less productivity. On the other hand, a clean desk will allow you to work more efficiently and feel more productive. We're here to explain the best way to clean your desk and organize everything so you can work to the best of your ability. Grab your cleaning gloves, a couple of trash bags, and this guide to start!
Things You Should Know
- Clean your desk by removing every item and placing it elsewhere. Wipe down all surfaces using a duster or disinfectant spray.
- Sort through your things and determine which are essential. Throw away, recycle, or donate any items you no longer need and put unnecessary stuff in storage.
- Organize everything you want to keep utilizing your desktop, drawers, and shelves. Add labels so you know where everything is.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I decorate my shelf?KyeKye4Community AnswerYou can buy some fairy lights, paint, paper flowers, and other things to personalize the shelf just for you.
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QuestionHow can I make my desk more interesting?Community AnswerYou can add some decorations or put some items on it that you like: books, a plant, candles, figurines, a vase, a clock, a globe, a little bowl to keep small items in, a nice lamp - those are just some ideas. If your desk is very basic and you have a lot of plain wall space above it, you can hang a poster, a tapestry, some pictures, a cork board or dry-erase board, and/or a calendar. Just be sure whatever you put there will not distract you from your work or take up too much space.
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QuestionI have too many things on my desk. I can't get another shelf as I already have two very large ones filled. How do I organize my desk?KyeKye4Community AnswerTry getting some storage bins or drawers to store extra desk items until you have to use them.
Video
Reader Videos
Tips
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The goal of a clean desk is to be a productive and healthy place for you to work. Do what feels good for you. If you need decorations and inspirational images around you to feel good, that's okay. Just make sure that you can still focus.Thanks
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Make sure you only have five erasers maximum, one pot of writing pens and pencils, and one pot of coloring pens and pencils.Thanks
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Use mason jars for storing pens, pencils, and other stationery items that will fit.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
- Instead of replacing items back onto your desk, consider an alternative approach. The "As You Work" approach consists of having a bin of unsorted items next to you when you start work the following day. Retrieve items as needed from the unsorted bin and place them in empty desk spaces. Proceed with the remaining items, sorting them "as you go" until all that's left are items you don't use. From there, you can decide you want to keep these items in storage or throw them out.
- If you have too many notebooks, pens, pencils, etc., use a pen holder or pencil box. This way you can also stack items on top of them.
- Create a separate pile for used and unused paper to limit any confusion.
References
- ↑ https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/work/clean-desk-computer
- ↑ https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/work/clean-desk-computer
- ↑ http://www.gq.com/story/how-to-clean-your-desk-
- ↑ http://zenhabits.net/steps-to-permanently-clear-desk/
- ↑ https://konmari.com/marie-kondo-rules-of-tidying-sparks-joy/
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-case-for-finally-cleaning-your-desk
- ↑ http://www.gq.com/story/how-to-clean-your-desk-
- ↑ https://timemanagementninja.com/2014/02/10-tips-to-keep-your-desk-clean-organized-productive/
- ↑ http://zenhabits.net/steps-to-permanently-clear-desk/
About This Article
Reader Success Stories
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"I think it was really helpful because my desk has been piled up with things ever since the October Break (I live in Shanghai). Thanks to this awesome article, I cleaned up my desk in five minutes! I'm really glad I can depend on wikiHow when I need to. Thanks, wikiHow!! :)"..." more