Today we are going to discuss a personal struggle of mine: Keeping a clean desk. Because nothing is more annoying than sitting down at your desk, and having it be cluttered with all kinds of things you don't need.
From what I can remember of my Minecraft playing days, I always found great enjoyment in playing with the best RGB keyboard and mouse, alongside installing LED strips at the back of my desk. I didn't care much for cable management at that time, so naturally my desk looked like a nest of fresh born snakes. Wires everywhere, but it worked out. During puberty, I attempted a few reorganizations of my desk, smartly tucking cables away and using those "self-sticking" clamps which never stick at all. But puberty also brought upon one of my worst enemies in desk cleaning: junk food. After a heavy gaming session, I'd indulge in crisps, candy and locally ordered food. And my ADHD riddled brain didn't care to throw the wrappers away, the contrary: all packaging was neatly organized and stacked, on my desk.
Often my mom would, rightfully so, interfere and throw away all old wrappers. But more often than not, the desk would be in the same state within a week. The interesting part of this is: I hate rubbish on my desk! But at that time, I never really took initiative to do something about it.
Fast forward to now, in the middle of my twenties, and things are looking better. To get there, I had to completely rethink my physical space.
Last month I invested into fixing my cable situation, buying a cable duct, using cable clamps and double sided tape to work away most of the mess beneath the desk. I've divided my L shape desk into 3 sections; the biggest section fits my main windows/linux setup, mounting 4 screens using monitor arms. In the corner sits a space for my phone and tablet, for task management and web testing. And turning 90 degrees to the right, sits the Macbook station, which I will expand with a screen and dock. The best part of it all: minimal cables and lots of (visual) space!
Whilst I do love browsing r/setups to scout beautiful desks, the reason I am actively investing in cleaning up my workstation lies elsewhere. Within the last few years of working, I noticed that the way my desk looked, was a 1 on 1 projection of how stressed I was. If I had many projects at the same time, I often didn't bother to clean or keep the workspace tidy. That all started to change last year, surprisingly enough due to travelling. I bought a MacBook and some wireless accessories and ran a travel setup for a few months. The result? I was actually more productive on the road, whilst at home I had to dig through my cluttered desk to even get the PC started. The minimal design aesthetic of Apple helps tremendously as well, but in my mind a switch went on. So, last few months I started investing in 3 major components:
On part 1, I'll write another time as it leans heavily into adapting the right mindset, selecting (and even building) the right tools and using technology to your advantage. The latter I achieved by the aforementioned steps and some behavioral changes. In my habit tracker, I've included to clean up my desk, usually at the end of the day. This allows me to start the day clean.
Somehow, this arguably small change makes a major difference in how I approach my work. I am by all means not a morning person, but waking up, stumbling to the office and being met by a clean environment, somehow invites me to start working. And it is exactly that motivation that really compounds throughout the week, where I find myself genuinely excited to work! Now as cringe as that may sound, I do firmly believe that cleaning your work environment boosts productivity.
I think the major issue many young aspiring professionals are running into lately, is simply getting started with making these changes. I can write entire books about this, but I'll share what worked for me in this specific instance.
I think the first thing you need to have clear for yourself is the "why" of it all. Many successful people are chaotic and messy, and I wouldn't advise changing that if it works for you. But understanding why you might want to make changes, allows you to better understand what motivates you to begin with. For example, you might not need a cleaner desk, rather something to fidget with.
Next up, the "how" question. Force yourself to take a chunk of time to sit down and simply think how you are going to implement those changes. You want a cleaner desk? Sure, think what that means for you. I prefer having a wired mouse, but maybe you want everything to be wireless. To each their own, but more often than not we overlook the "how" component and slam on a quick fix. And trust me, the quick fix never works in the long run. You need to adapt changes that actually motivate you to do the same thing, again and again.
Lastly, "when". All good ideas can (and will) eventually end up in a large backlog of things you ought to do, but never find the time to do it. Simply grab your calendar, pick a slot and nail it in. Treat it like an important meeting or doctors appointment and, most importantly, don't schedule something else over it! Allow yourself focused time, because after all, you are making these changes to better yourself, not because that one annoying Spanish teacher demands you to.
So clear your desk, clear your mind, and see what it does for your workday.