Having a clean and clear workspace is so important - whether you work from home or work in office. This posts takes a look at how to declutter your desk and is part of my July Decluttering Challenge.

How To Declutter Your Desk In 8 Steps

July 4, 2021 - By Fiona Hawkes

Having a clean and clear workspace is so important – whether you work from home or work in office. This posts takes a look at how to declutter your desk.

I hate working in a messy space. I like my home to be relatively tidy before I get to work and will often spend time having a good tidy around before sitting down at my desk.

Of course, working as a blogger and freelance writer I’m lucky enough to be able to do this as I can start as and when I like.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t end up making a mess of my desk as working during the day. Sometimes having a good declutter of your desk space can help you keep it tidy day to day.

How To Declutter Your Desk

1. Remove Everything From Your Desk Space

The first thing you need to do when decluttering your desk is remove everything. This will really allow you to see how much space you have and what could be done with it.

Could rearranging things allow for more storage?

Starting with a blank space can help you be more ruthless when deciding what to add back in.

2. Think About What You Need

Of course, there are going to be lots of things you need to be able to do your job and work efficiently.

But there may also be things that could be filed elsewhere or knick-knacks and trinkets that are making the space feel cluttered without you realizing it.

3. Clean

Having an empty desk space is probably something that doesn’t occur very often so this is the perfect opportunity to give the space a good clean and dust.

4. Add Storage/Organizers

Adding more storage, if you have the space to do so, is a great way to help your desk space feel tidier and less cluttered.

Think about the type of storage which would have the most impact on the mess. Do you need more filing space? Better organization for stationery? Or even a better way of keeping your desktop computer and all its wires tidier?

Pinterest is great for inspiration for this sort of thing and Ikea offers lots of budget-friendly storage solutions.

5. Make Sure Everything You Keep Works

Before starting to add things back onto your desk, make sure everything works. Test all of your pens and any other gadgets and discard those that don’t work or that you no longer use.

Get rid of any old computer equipment, leads or wires that are broken.

6. Declutter Paperwork

When it comes to paperwork, it can be so hard to know what you do and don’t need to get rid of. Take time to look at all your paperwork and see where you can cut back to help your space feel cleaner and tidier.

Even if you can’t rid of everything, see if some items can be filed away from your desk space.

Related Post – How To Declutter Paperwork

7. Tidy The Space Around You

This more applies to home offices and small businesses rather than larger shared office spaces. But having the area around your desk nice and tidy can help you stay motivated to keep your desk space tidy as well.

Messy space can make you feel as though there is no point in keeping your desk space neat.