Some people can work in a disorganized fashion, but I’m not one of them. I’ve tried it, but I hated every minute of working on a cluttered home office desk. It just feels dirty and claustrophobic, which isn’t conducive to the quality of work I want to produce.
Ever since I took up minimalism and simplicity, I have been obsessed with streamlining every aspect of my home.
So far, the results have been wonderful.
What I didn’t realize was that clutter contributes to feelings of stress, anxiety, claustraphobia, and even depression.
I’ve felt all of these emotions in the last year, and they are not helpful to someone who wants to be a full-time author and writer.
My mother always said that the state of your environment is a direct reflection of the state of your mind.
I believe that to be true, but conversely, the state of your mind can have a direct influence on the state of your environment.
In setting out to improve my mental health, I started with fixing my environment.
Since I’m a goal-oriented person, I made a list of reasons to declutter my home office desk.
I wanted to give myself a good incentive for making an effort to clean and simplify my home office, and this is what I came up with.
The top three incentives for decluttering my home office desk are:
- Increase productivity
- Increase space for working
- Increase creativity
The founding thought was this: If I can make the time spent at my desk enjoyable, I’ll probably want to work more.
If you’re reading this article and find it to be helpful and inspiring, then that would be a testament to the efficacy of my plan because I’m working on my home office desk after decluttering and organizing it.
Anyway, here’s my little step-by-step guide on how to declutter your home office desk.
Related article: How I make my bedroom smell good
What Items Cause Clutter On A Desk?
To optimize or minimize a desk for simplicity and minimalism, it is imperative that we know what constitutes clutter.
The last thing we want to do is get rid of essential items that help us to work more efficiently and happily.
Here’s a list of items that may cause clutter on your home office desk:
- Excessive stationary like pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and so forth.
- Unopened mail or opened envelopes.
- Old magazines and newspapers.
- Flyers and pamphlets.
- Wrappers from sweets and snacks.
- Non-essential decorative items.
- There are too many lights and lamps.
- Random gifts or sentimental items.
Related article: Why I’m choosing to become a minimalist
Steps On Decluttering A Desk
Step 1: Remove everything (excluding the computer screen)
With a clean slate, you can gauge exactly what to do with the space. I have an average-sized office desk.
Freeing up as much surface space as possible allows me to plan out how to reorganize my desk for maximum productivity so that I can work uninhibited while promoting a sense of openness.
Step 2: Clean and disinfect the surface
Cleanliness is next to godliness. While you have the chance, grab a surface cleaner and remove any stains, dirt, or dust from your office desk.
This quick task can restore the shine and smoothness of your desk.
Step 3: Add essential items for working
What does your primary work entail? For me, it’s writing, but it also requires in-depth research and note-taking.
So, I need my keyboard and mouse, plus my notebook or tablet. I’m going to purchase a stand for my tablet so that I can minimize the amount of space it uses on my desk.
I also have a modem that has to be placed on my desk so that I can remain connected to the internet at all times.
Only add back the items that are absolutely necessary for you to execute your work functions.
Step 4: Add essential items for lighting and planning
Prior to making these changes, I had three light decorations, one lamp, and one light-up dehumidifier.
They took up almost 20% of my desk, which is ridiculous because I barely used anything other than the lamp and dehumidifier. I also kept two notebooks on my desk, which could have easily been stored in one of the drawers of my desk.
The reason they weren’t is because I have too many of them and there isn’t any space.
The logical thing to do was give them away, and that is exactly what I did. You only need one or two lights on your desk and one notebook. Everything else should be stored in a drawer.
If you need to use multiple books, get an organizer to hold them vertically.
Step 5: Add one decorative items
One may argue that decorations aren’t necessary; therefore, they can’t be categorized as minimalistic, but I beg to differ. If something supplementary helps you to feel good, think clearly, and be more productive, there’s room for it on a minimalistic desk setup.
The goal is to minimize how many decorative items you place on a desk.
Limit it to just one item that you really like. The rest has to go.
Personally, I think an indoor plant is the perfect decorative accessory for a desk. I love nature and find it to be soothing. This is what I’m going to always recommend to people who work from home.
Step 6: Store or donate everything else
You’re less likely to create or worsen clutter if you have fewer things at home.
I’m an extremely sentimental person, but I’ve given myself compelling reasons to give away or store away items of sentimental value that add clutter to my home.
You can choose which suits your needs, but don’t negotiate with yourself to add these items back to your home office desk.
Step 7: Storage containers
For those of you who require a ton of items to work, like in the case of a dressmaker or artist, you have to spend some money on organizers and storage containers.
If you don’t have enough space on your desk, get a troller organizer that stands next to it, or use the wall space in front of or on the side of the desk to store all these items.
This is the kind of investment that will not go to waste because you’ll always use it.
What About Calendars And Trackers?
Excellent question.
I love to track the progress of my projects and goals.
It keeps me accountable and motivated, but calendars and trackers started taking up too much space on my desk.
Visibility is important for these items, which is why I don’t prefer storing them in drawers or cupboards.
Instead, I make use of the wall space next to my desk.
With a white board or cork board, you can track everything you need in plain sight without causing any clutter on your desk.
It’s simple, effective, and minimalistic.