How many times do you find yourself staring at your desktop wondering where a file (or link is)?  If this is more than 0 times per day, then something is wrong with your workspace.  Just like a physical desks, it helps immensely to keep your virtual desktop clean.  You don’t have to adopt all of these, but I have found that doing so drastically increases productivity.

Ditch the Icons

The number one thing that you can do to clean up your desktop is to get rid of the icons. All you have to do is right click on the desktop and uncheck “Show desktop icons”. It’s a simple step that will quickly clear off your desktop.

If you are hesitant about getting rid of icons, consider cutting the number back and using the free tool Fences to organize them.

Hide the Notifications

Now that your desktop is cleaned off its time to address the system tray.  If there are more than 3 icons in the system tray, then there are too many. Use the Action Center to remove any unnecessary notifications.

Launch!

Use a free launch program such as Launchy to quickly access files and programs. Launchy runs only when you press Alt-Space, then simply type the name of your program and hit enter. These programs get smarter and smarter as you use them so you should be able to type less as time goes on.

Make it Pretty

Once you clear off your desktop that pixelated picture of a cat laying down with a dog just isn’t going to cut it. Try using online resources such as Smashing Magazine or Sxc.hu to find cool looking, productivity boosting wallpapers. For best effect, switch out every couple days (or weeks).