How to Declutter Computer Desktop?

Time management skills for students

Have you ever observed that your students’ desktop is so cluttered and filled with files and folders that they can’t even locate the information? I am interested in finding out how using a desktop organizer wallpaper might help them combat computer desktop clutter.

Students spend increasing time on their laptops and download documents for different purposes. It will be beneficial to have a system to organize their learning and boost efficiency and productivity. Most importantly, I hope this desktop organizer wallpaper can provide students with a strategy to cope with their emotions and prioritize their day. The pandemic is affecting our mental health, and all of us will benefit from developing a repertoire of strategies to get through our negative emotions. We need tools and methods to deal with our frustrations and disappointments. Self-care is easier said than done. It requires practice and guidance to develop a habit of positive thinking. I first created this desktop organizer wallpaper for myself and thought it might be helpful for students. I will share this with my students.

Desktop organizer wallpaper?

Quotes of the day

I like to collect quotes as they inspire, keep me motivated and expand my perspectives. When starting the class, students can also share their quote of the day. Will it be nice if we get all inspired at the beginning of the lesson? This also allows teachers to gain an insight into our students and discover what keeps them motivated and inspired. It creates a learning community and builds relationships with students.

Affirmation

Self-affirmation encourages positive thinking and self-empowerment. Affirming good qualities we have can increase our confidence, promote self-love, and boost productivity. Here are some example of affirmations:

• I believe in myself and my strengths.
• I am creative.
• I am kind and helpful.
• I will take care of my feelings by noticing them.
• I can do hard things.
• I can persevere when things are hard.

In Positive.Psychology.com, there is guidance on how to design affirmation.

Affirmations are a popular way to help combat low self-esteem in both adults and adolescents.

Bloch & Merritt, 1993; Lynch & Graham-Bermann, 2000, cited Ackerman

Start your day

Creating a mindful morning routine can help us start the day with calmness and peace. It can be making a cup of tea, practicing, stretching your body, journaling, drinking a glass of water, practicing meditation, etc. They are small habits that can make our day better and productive. 12 Easy Ways To Create A Morning Routine gives some ideas to help create a morning routine.

Projects

This session is for users to organize their projects. It can be arranged by folders or using the stickie note function. Users can drag the folders on the desktop in this space. Some students find it challenging to complete long-term projects. Listing all the projects can be the first step before planing a long-term project. The second step is to break down the project into bite-size tasks. Have all projects listed in one place and also have students develop a timeline and create a plan to complete the project.

Tasks of the day

Based on the projects listed, students break into small components and set time to complete the smaller tasks. Then, they can use the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize the tasks identified.

Eisenhower matrix

Not all tasks weigh the same. To help students prioritize the tasks, I introduced the Eisenhower matrix. “The Eisenhower Matrix, also referred to as Urgent-Important Matrix, helps you decide on and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance, sorting out less urgent and important tasks which you should either delegate or not do at all.” (Eisenhower). One statement that resonates with me is that we tend to do many urgent things but ignore things that are important but not urgent, for instance, having a dinner conversation with our children or our loved ones, exercising, etc. It will be important that teachers model how to do this, and students can practice how to use the Eisenhower matrix. One idea is to have students brainstorm items for each category, discuss the appropriateness of the task-sorting, and discuss what affects our decision-making.

Gratitude

It’s always good to be thankful and be appreciative. There are lots of benefits of practicing gratitude shared on the internet already. This is part of my coping strategy when I feel stressed or anxious. Practicing gratitude makes us feel we belong to a particular community and that people care about us. It enables us to reflect and discover things we don’t usually pay attention to and prevent us from taking things for granted. I want to encourage students to practice expressing gratitude to become a habit.

Evening review

The last part of the organizer wallpaper is to help foster the habit of reflection. A simple protocol to guide the student’s thinking is WWW (What Went Well) and EBI (Even Better If). A follow-up question is “Do I have a strategy to make the situation better?” Students are encouraged to seek suggestions or ideas. Not all students know how to make their situation better.

This is what it might look like. Students can use Stickies app on their mac computer or the Sticky Notes Chrome extension to interact with this desktop organizer wallpaper.

If you want to introduce this idea to your student, you can download the Canva template here. On a different note, there are many beautiful desktop organizers templates on Canva that are free to use and modify.

Reference

• Ackerman, Courtney. “18 Self-Esteem Worksheets and Activities for Teens and Adults (+PDFs).” PositivePsychology.com, 19 June 2019, positivepsychology.com/self-esteem-worksheets/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.
• Ishak, Raven. “12 Easy Ways to Create a Mindful Morning Routine.” Bustle, 12 Apr. 2016, www.bustle.com/articles/152999-12-easy-ways-to-create-a-mindful-morning-routine. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.
• Eisenhower. “The Eisenhower Matrix: Introduction & 3-Minute Video Tutorial.” Eisenhower, 2011, www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.