Imagine a workstation with papers, folders, food, and electronics strewn all around, then having to scour through everything to find an unlabeled thumb drive containing an important sales report. This is practically the same hassle you and your staff suffer when you have cluttered desktops.

Your desktop or laptop may have the applications you need for work, but it also features so many on-screen distractions that it's easy for you to lose focus on important tasks. Here are a few tricks to help you avoid distractions at work and boost your productivity.

A cluttered computer desktop can hamper productivity. When a bunch of files, folders, and applications are fighting for space on your desktop, it can be difficult to look for the ones you need. You may not realize it, but the clutter affects the way you work and slows you down.

It’s simple, really: if your desktop is messy, then it’s more difficult to use. Don’t waste time and energy struggling to function — literally clean up your act by heeding our tips on decluttering your desktop.
1. Arrange, sort, and prioritize
Before you go about deleting everything from your desktop, think about what you really want to keep.

Because there are only so many hours in a workday, it’s vital to make the most of your time. If distracting websites, unorganized files, and cluttered inboxes prevent you from getting work done, consider these tips to better manage your time and stay productive at work.

Anything that hinders productivity is considered detrimental to profit, and a cluttered computer is one of them. Even a little time spent looking for files and applications in a crowded desktop can eventually add up to hours of downtime. Worse, it can mean losing critical data like important reports.

We all want to become more productive. Business gurus always emphasize the importance of time management and taking breaks to avoid burnout. But aside from motivating yourself to work more efficiently, there are plenty of tools that increase your daily output.