Whether you have a home office or a traditional office, you probably have items lying around your desk that don’t necessarily need to be there. As you get busier and busier, you may have issues keeping your desk clear from clutter.
Why do you need to clear your desk space?
Well, there are the obvious reasons, like it distracts you from the work at hand and it doesn’t allow you space to work. There are also other reasons like helping you be more creative and being able to find things more quickly.
Here are 30 desk items to throw away for a tidy space right now.
- Pens, highlighters, markers, and dry erase markers that you don’t like or don’t use
- Miscellaneous drawer items like pins, extra scissors, etc…
- Old rubber bands
- Old printer cartridges
- Old electronics: monitors, computers, tablets, phones, cassette tapes, and recorders
- Old charging cables
- Broken wired headsets
- Old calculators
- Dusty dead plants
- Statues and figurines
- Old colored paper – it discolors over time.
- Old deposit slips from old bank accounts
- Old checks from old bank accounts
- Old business cards from associates and clients
- Remove pictures on desk and hang on the wall
- Out of date papers
- Papers with References that can be saved on the computer
- Used open envelopes mail. Use paper clips to hold the envelope and bill together.
- Old mail that doesn’t have a purpose
- Junk mail that needs to be recycled
- Old notepads with a few sheets left attached to them
- Extra push pins – we all have too many push pins. Do you even have a cork board in your office?
- Desk lamp that isn’t being used.
- Old sticky notes
- Old phone books
- In box pile of papers
- Nail polish and make-up – my mother would have this at her desk all the time.
- Snack wrappers
- Empty water bottles
- Books that have another home
I hope this list gives you a starting point to clear your desk clutter. I know it helps me to have a list of items. Below is a checklist to help you.
Need more help with office purge, visit these other pages for more information on desk organization.
Three Steps to Declutter Your Desk
Which items did you get rid of from the list above to clear the clutter? Please leave a comment below.
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I go through my desk drawers about once a year, and every time I do, I find something that I kept last time that I still haven’t used. Eventually it will be all gone!
My problem is that I have this humongous old desk with lots of drawers so space is never an issue. If I were to replace it with something smaller, I’d have to be much more selective.
That’s great, Janet! Drawers can be a trap in desks. You really only need two smaller drawers and 1 filing cabinet. Thanks for commenting.
Oh I am all over this… I am a neat freak and have a VERY TIDY office space. Sure, there is a lot of stuff there, but I purge often… esp if I haven’t used it in awhile.. it’s outta here! lol Thanks for helping others! 🙂
That’s great, Kristen! Keeping an office organized is a daily tasks. I hope this helps people clear their clutter. Thanks for commenting.
I am definitely one who can only work in a clear space, otherwise I just can’t think. My weakness.. are upright files. I tend to fill them and then never look at them again. Time to clean those out (get rid of them?) and go through your list as well.
That’s great, Lisa. Thanks for commenting.
Desk is clean. But, there’s three boxes of stuff that needs to be filed, tossed or saved. Time to get to work on that.
Good luck! Take it one box at a time and split it over 3 weeks this way you will concentrate on each box and not feel overwhelmed. Thanks for commenting.
Sabrina – I’ve found that clean, flat surfaces work best for me. And I know this sounds crazy, but I think one of the single best things I can do to eat healthy is to keep my environment tidy. If I look around and see a planned, organized, classy space – I act more like a level-headed, organized classy gal (complete with healthy eating habits). A sloppy environment is much more likely to yield the female version of the odd couple’s Oscar Madison. A neat environment brings out the Felix in me.
Also, I find that if I’m putzing – not trying too hard to clean – I do my best work. If I actually think, “Why was I saving this postcard?” and realize that I needed to write down an address – and then put it into my computer’s list of contacts – it turns out much better than if I get in a hurry and just start throwing things in the garbage can. It seems elementary – but it’s so important! Thanks for a great post.
It’s great that you know how you feel around clutter and a neat space. Not many people realize their surroundings effect them.
I totally agree, taking time through the different piles in the office is more effective than rushing through a pile and throwing things away.
Thanks for sharing.
Really great list, Sabrina! I don’t officially have a desk, but work on my dining room table and find it easier to keep it neater and less cluttered than a desk. I have storage bins for files etc., so make sure to not collect “stuff” around me. Every once in a while it gets stacked up with binders and papers, which is my cue to stop and see what all of it is.
One thing I just de-cluttered were the emails on my server (they all come into my Macmail where I manage them), and was shocked to find I had 22,000 emails there since November! That is really scary, so I am purging not only those, but unsubscribing from unnecessary email lists whose info isn’t being read or used. Thanks for the wonderful list!
Good for you, Beverley! Digital decluttering is so important. I recently purchased a new computer and decluttered my old computer before transferring files to the new one. It really did help. I feel more aware of where things are and what I was and wasn’t using. Thanks for commenting.
Great post cause I think if it is hidden in a draw what does it matter or in a neat pile in corner or in a pencil holder. I do have a large desk with lots of clear area, but I get your point & I dont let things pile up. Pinned. Great list.
Great job, Roslyn. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Sabrina, I cleaned off the top of my desk recently but a lot of the items you mentioned are in my top drawers. Out of sight, you know. I know I need to do it and you have prodded me. Thanks. I wish I could remember where I saw a cute video showing a desk from about 20 years ago being cleaned bit by bit as the things we don’t need anymore vanished. Things like paper postits, clocks, etc.
Great idea! I will need to make one. =)
Oh, I have a lot of cleaning up to do too! It’s been on my list 🙂
But this is helpful, and spurs me on to do it! Thank you.
Glad it helped, Susan Mary!
Yowza! I have some cleaning up to do. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for commenting, Teresa. Pass yourself. No pressure here. =)