If you find yourself overwhelmed at work, take some time out to tidy up your office computer. A cluttered digital workstation can reduce efficiency and create more stress for you.

Read the following tips to help you create a less busy, more organised desktop:

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop
(Photo: Pexels)

1. Pen a to-do list

Simple but effective: Paste digital sticky notes on your desktop to remind you of your tasks for the day.

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop
(Photo: Pixabay)

2. Unsubscribe to mailers you no longer read

Two years ago, you thought subscribing to a weekly newsletter on otters was a good idea? Time for an overhaul. “Be realistic and unsubscribe from mailing lists you no longer read. Create filters for the subscriptions you love so they appear in one folder on your desktop and can be found easily,” suggests Olivia Chiong, founder of Unbusy Entrepreneur and operations manager at Key Person of Influence Singapore. “The Unroll.me website or app combines all subscriptions into one e-mail so you can organise your favourites from there.”

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop (2)
(Photo: Pixabay)

3. Delete things

Check your programs folder regularly and delete those you haven’t used in the past six months. Be ruthless!

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop (3)

(Photo: Pixabay)

4. Create a separate email account solely for online shopping notifications

You love shopping. And you hate missing a bargain. Olivia recommends creating an e-mail account (for example, iloveshopping@gmail.com) to store the online discount codes sent to you. This way, you’ll know exactly where to go on the weekend and won’t miss out on deals.

Bonus: You’ll no longer be tempted by a barrage of random ads.

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop 6
(Photo: Pixabay)

5. Don’t forget the taskbar

Pin frequently used software onto your taskbar to access it quickly. “It’s amazing how often people forget to use this function,” reveals Olivia. The same goes for rifling through your browser history. Bookmark frequently visited websites!

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop (3)
(Photo: Pexels)

6. Download a time management app

Rescuetime is an online tracking system that runs in the background on your smartphone or desktop while it’s in use. It gives you detailed reports of the time you spent on any website or app, how productive you were and whether you achieved your goals. At the same time, it blocks distracting websites during hours that you designate.

Related: 10 Best Apps To Help Organise Your Home And Life

(Photo: Screengrab from Slack)
(Photo: Screengrab from Slack)

7. Use collaborative apps

Chat communication tool Slack is like your Whatsapp messenger – but it’s stored in your cloud, so you never lose any chats when changing devices. Its web interface allows you to create channels for your work team members and to upload files directly, while its search function helps you access the information stored. Also good for personal use.

How To Declutter Your Office Desktop 6 (2)
(Photo: Stocksnap)

8. Get more space

HR might not be crazy happy about this, but having two monitors at your workstation lessens the hassle of minimising and toggling between windows, and a larger desktop space means you can access more open documents at once.

For more tips like these, read Here’s How Often You Should Be Cleaning Your Office Desk10 Healthy Snacks To Keep In Your Office and 10 Gross Office Habits Making You Sick.

Text: Christa Choo / Her World Singapore June 2016 
Additional Reporting: Elizabeth Liew