Desktops are a huge area of distracting clutter in a digital life. Files, shortcuts, icons accumulate quickly into an unmanageable mess.
A few practices to keep desktops in check:
- Organize desktop icons into piles (folders) according to your commonly used tags (Create, Play, Work, etc)
- Keep folder structures very flat (no more than two levels) for quick access
- Separate desktop icons (recent files, work in progress, things to process) from long term documents (keep in a separate folder)
- Treat your desktop as an Inbox (process now, delegate, postpone, archive)
- Use desktop organization tools to keep the clutter down (Stardock Fences for Windows and Desktop Groups Lite for Mac)