For way too long, my desk looked like it was hit by a productivity hurricane. Every morning, a mountain of papers and a jungle of cables greeted me with: “Hi dude, what’s up?”.

I didn’t have energy to say “Good morning” to my cluttered work cave.

But when I organized my desk, I said goodbye to my grumpy morning mood.

Why even organize your workspace?

I have worked for months in a space I cannot even describe.

That’s not because my memory fails, but my office changed every day. More chaos, more clutter.

The reason I re-organized my workspace was because something you may find odd.

I realized that this chaos resulted in less time for my lazy moments.

Let me explain.

More time for binge watching

I love binge watching. I really do.

But for months, I wasted every day minutes searching for a pen, a paper, an important document and whatnot.

All those moments together lasted probably longer than the 9 seasons of “The Office“.

If that’s not a good reason to clean up, there were a few others.

Less mini panic attacks

“I will scan it and send it right away.”

What I actually meant was:

“If I can find that so important paper in this pile, and if my phone is charged, I will scan it and send it. And then you can also finally stop asking me for that certificate or whatever document you need.”

Usually, when the fifth reminder hit my mailbox, I started cursing like a pirate. Desperately digging for that treasure document.

It’s funny, but only with hindsight.

More oxygen for my brain

I like plants. They create some Zen atmosphere.

The biggest problem is that my cat likes them too. As snacks.

I never found a solution to make the two live peacefully together in the same space.

Until the day I cleaned up my office. All of a sudden I noticed some safe spots she cannot reach.

I am not related to Marie Kondo, you know the queen of tidiness.

And since I was enjoying “The Office” with the lazy girl, I didn’t have time to watch her videos on how to create a perfectly clean, inspiring, awesome office space.

So how did I do that?

How did I turn utter chaos into a clean desk?

4 lazy moves to clean up your workspace

I did what a lazy dude like me is best at.

The absolute bare minimum with a huge impact.

Pro tip: The Do It Now method is great to get this kind of projects done in no time.

Step 1: Clear the clutter

Start by removing everything from your desk. Yes, everything. Then sort all that junk into three piles:

• Keep: Essential items you use daily.
• Throw Away: Items that are broken and irreparable. Or no longer edible.
• Give Away: Items that are still useful but not to you. Or your cat.

Step 2: Organize your “must keep” stuff

Now you’ve purged the stuff that was hiding the goodies, you can group similar items together. For example:

• Pencils, pens, and markers in one cup.
• Papers and documents in folders or trays.

Do the same for everything you may need one day, but put it in boxes.

And label them.

Step 3: Find a home for everything

Cleaning and organizing my stuff has a weird effect on me.

The moment I organized my chaotic office, I felt lost

I had that feeling many times in my life.

But I learned to think three times before giving stuff a new place.

Of course, you can also make a list where you have put your things.

It is like a treasure map. The cursing pirate in you will thank you for this the moment you need something, but can’t remember where you put it.

Step 4: Put everything back immediately after you use it

Sometimes, I put my cup of coffee on my desk.

That is a stupid and bold move.

My cat can give it a nudge and spill my power drink over my laptop.

But the real nightmare is that I have to look for 5 minutes all over the place, wondering where I left my coffee.

A smarter strategy is to put things always on the same place.

The temple of focus

If I have too many things on my desk, I get distracted.

That was a different story long ago.

The thing is that you can get used to a clean desk. Trust me.

And silly as it may sound, it can improve your overall feeling and focus, just like all the other lazy productivity hacks I apply to get stuff done.

But I don’t like to work for the sake of working.

So I always put one small personal item on my desk.

It reminds me, for example, of why I am writing this article instead of binge watching…