Your computer productivity is directly influenced by the ease with which you are able to launch applications or find, organize and retrieve your internet downloads. A cluttered desktop only makes you lose time and focus trying to find the things you look for among the zillions of icons.

You might remember my article on turning your desktop into a productivity tool which is one of the most popular articles on this blog so far. At the time I wrote it, I was finding it strange that no other productivity blogs had tackled this subject yet. Boy was I wrong – the subject of organizing one’s desktop proves to be a favorite topic of discussion for a lot of productivity-oriented blogs and bloggers. Talk about insufficient research –

Since the subject of the perfect “productive” desktop is far from being closed, I decided to give you the

Top links list for a more Productive Desktop

- introducing you to the best ideas around the web about setting up your computer desktop for improved productivity.

1. First of all, our article – Turn your Desktop into a Productivity tool. Main ideas:
   

   • Desktop used only to store shortcuts to Folders. All downloaded files go in the folders.
   • Simple/No Wallpaper
   • On the Desktop, put only shortcuts instead of real folders themselves to avoid accidental erasing
   • Folder Shortcuts present: Work/Job; Projects; Research for Work; Research My Websites; Research Others; Documents

2. Antbag.com has a different approach on How to Organize your Desktop to Boost Productivity. Ideas: simple wallpapers that identify colored “zones” according to the type of the file stored on the desktop – PDFs, Shortcuts to Applications, Images, Word docs, Misc, etc…
3. Lifeclever.com talks about How to organize your cluttered desktop and regain your sanity. You implement your Desktop following GTD’s principles, in 5 main folders:
   

   • “0. Inbox” – unprocessed items that don’t have a place yet in here. This folder must be emptied everyday, at the end of the day.
   • “1. Actions” – items requiring an action that takes more than 2 minutes in here.
   • “2. Incubate” – items you aren’t yet ready to do or complete in here.
   • “3. Current Projects” – files related to active projects in here. Each project gets it’s own unique folder.
   • “4. Archive” – completed projects, general reference items, etc. Also aliases of Mac OS X’s “Music”, “Pictures”, and “Movies” folders

   Cool Tip: prefixing folders by numbers makes it an easier access from Quicksilver

4. AJ’s blog told us, since April, the ways to a Desktop Zen – Reducing Visual Clutter on your Desktop – Windows -centric tips, but pretty interesting ones on organizing your most used items into the quick launch bar and the start folder.
5. Antonio Marque on Digital-Folders tells you How to Keep your Desktop Organized (without getting insane) tells us of a similar GTD-centric desktop:
   

   • INBOX The first stop for everything.
   • Ongoing Files belonging to ongoing projects go here.
   • Freezer Files that you are nor currently using but will do so in a near future.
   • Archive If it’s ready and done, archive it.
   • Daily – templates, files that you really use on a regular basis.

6. Kinkless.com tells us the 5 steps to a Kinkless Desktop – OSX – centric tips : besides the obvious advice on clearing up the desktop and having some important organizing folders, it also introduces us to cute tips on styling your folders, keeping them aligned and assigning them custom icons.
7. Lifehacker.com has an intensive photo gallery on Top 10 Ways to Digitally Declutter – tips not too different than the previous ones, but on a more broad subject – decluttering your entire digital life instead of limiting to just your Desktop

Conclusion?
Some think that your desktop is a reflection of your personality. I say it’s vice-versa – your desktop influences your computer usage habits, efficiency and productivity.
The procrastinator will have his desktop filled with funny videos, games shortcuts or downloaded pictures, ebooks or files of jokes.
The really productive, on the other hand, must strive for order and organization in all aspects of his/her life – be it analogical or digital. Bad habits can be born out of any kind of mess – and a desktop mess is guaranteed to become, sooner or later, a barrier to your productivity.

This is why organizing your computer’s desktop for a maximized productivity is a necessary first step towards your goal – to become a better, more efficient and eventually happier person.
[tags]productivity, gtd, organized desktop, osx, kinkless, lifehack[/tags]