Cleaning My Desk: 11 items or less!

Some years back, I cleaned my desk.

It was at the start of a new year.

After hours of diligent reviewing, judging, sorting, filing, resorting and tossing, I was amazed to find that there were just a few bits of paper — maybe 4 or 5 peices — with “important” notes with which I could not part, and which absolutely refused to be classified. They would not be reduced to Contacts, Inpirations, History, Ideas, Project files or whatever other divisions I’d chosen to hold that year’s upwelling of life.

Though I tried and tried, I could do nothing with them. Not even an “uncategorizable” was possible.

So they sat at the edge of the desk … and by the end of the following year, you got it – they reproduced themselves mightily into another tidal wave of Contacts, Inspirations, History, Ideas or whatever else happened the following year … including of course, the stubborn, not-to-be-ignored what-nots that would be promoted as the Remainder Bits of that year.

Since then I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried to completely clear my desk again. Really, that way of starting by taking items off one at a time and dealing with them as I go just never worked for me.

I’ve joked that the best way to deal with this objective of having a clear desk at the start of the new year is to simply place a large bin, box or trash can at the edge of the desk. Go to the other side, and with a giant and deliberate sweep of the arm, push it ALL off into the bin. Clean and polish and then MAYBE go through and pull out what would come back. That one-step creation of a clear space and the powerful clarity of open, no bits place it creates is the only thing with which I even have a half a chance to

But today I was inspired by a friend who is clearing his desk, and I removed EVERYTHING!

I’ve filed a bunch of current project files, and now, here’s what I’m putting back onto the desk:

1. computer monitor
2. keyboard
3. mouse
4. phone
5. lamp
6. desk protector
7. 2 photos under the desk protector
8. stone coaster
9. remote for music player
10. stand for my daily inspiration card
11. purple pen

Question of the day: If you could get your physical desktop down to 11 items, what would they be?