7 tips for a tidy desk

7 tips for a tidy desk

Read the tips for keeping your desk tidy and then do the exercises to practise and improve your reading skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then read the tips and do the exercises.

Reading

Seven tips for a tidy desk

1. Only keep things you really need on and near your desk.

Use a tray for any papers you have to read. Have a jar for pens and pencils and have a bin near your desk.

2. Don’t keep any drinks on your desk.

Go to the kitchen when you want to have a drink or, if you prefer, keep a drink on a small table near your desk.

3. Reduce the amount of paper that you use.

Try to keep as much information as possible in folders on your computer. Before printing a document, ask yourself, ‘do I really need to read this on paper?’

4. Scan your notes.

If you have a lot of paper (magazine articles, notes, worksheets, etc.), use a scanner and keep a digital version as a PDF on your computer.

5. Use your smartphone to take photos of things you need to remember.

For example, take photos of notes to yourself, the name and address of a place you need to visit or diagrams you need to study for school.

6. Get a noticeboard.

If you really do need to keep small bits of paper, use a noticeboard on the wall. Check it every day and throw old notes in the bin.

7. Clean your desk at the end of every day.

Choose a time to tidy your desk and do it! If you do it every day, it will only take five minutes and you can start each new day with a clean and tidy space.

Discussion

Where do you study when you are at home? Is it tidy or messy?

Language level
Average: 3.3 (21 votes)
Personal online tutoring
EnglishScore Tutors is the British Council’s one-to-one tutoring platform for 13- to 17-year-olds.

Comments

Submitted by JiaPei on Mon, 11/02/2020 - 10:33

I study on my bed because i didn’t use paper or noticeboard I normally us my iPad to study

Submitted by dayah on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 05:31

I study at a study table made by my own father. The desk was located in my study corner in front of my bedroom. My study corner is very neat because my father will make sure I study in an orderly and calm manner. But when I studied at the study table it became messy because of a lot of reading material. After reading these 7 tips given I will practice in my study time.

Submitted by Ammar35 on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 04:47

I study at my room because it is very quiet and i can give a lot focus in studying. I also had my own desk in my bedroom to put my book and easier for me too study. My desk sometime will be very messy because had to many things at my desk and i'm so lazy to tidy it until my mother come to my rooom and mad at me.That's only time i will tidy my desk. Sometime i was thinking why i need to tidy my desk? Is it so important? I was thinking it everytime until my teacher said that our brain will be more affective when seen something beautiful or tidy.It also will make our learning progress became succes.

Submitted by anisamrh on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 03:55

At home I study in my room because I consider it to be a place where I can study peacefully. I always keep my room in tidy. I will make sure after I finish studying I will put everything back in its proper place . Like the papers I will arrange neatly and also my other things. But after I read this , I think i can change some of my habit like using paperless and follow other useful recommendations

Submitted by afiqAz03 on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 03:50

I like study on my living room because i can watch televesion and do something else.i have my own table to study at my room but it so tidy and messy with paper and other tools.sometimes i clean it but im so lazy to do it everyday.

Submitted by Ipan on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 03:04

Study desk?no I don’t have one I often study at dining table. It is because i can watch tv and do homework at the same time. Futhermore, it’s very near to the fridge so when I thirsty i can grab a drink

Submitted by Camille on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 03:03

I have my own study desk in my room. Before this I like to study on the floor because my desk is messy and there is no space for me to study. After realizing I want to take a big exam. I tidied up my desk and gave a special space for me to study. When my teacher shares 7 tips a tidy desk,I realize I have followed some tips already given. .After this I will follow all 7 tips especially the 7th tip which is to “ Clean your desk at the end of every day.”

Submitted by Jisya on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 02:56

To be actually honest, I don't have any study desk . So basically I either study on my bed or in dining table at the kitchen. To comment about messy or tidy my deks is I think it's messy. I usually bring the needed book to my bed and do it there, after I finish I will arrange the book on the floor or in the box. I'm thinking about buying one of study desk, maybe in the future. This tips would be blessing for me to use it later when I have one. For now neither do I have a choice, I'll just keep studying on my bed yeah~

Submitted by pira on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 02:47

i like to looked messy with many books and my stationary on my desk because i can see how struggle i was study at that time even actually its not , then i always need some food by my side so that i can chew something while study , my messy desk always made me lost my stationary then i have to find them everywhere on the desk , that was the shortage , but sometimes i don't have enough spaces on my desk then i will study on my bed while lie down in a chill mood , even though i like a messiness at my study time , after i completed my task i will rearrange all the stuff like usual hehe

Submitted by Sicantik on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 02:28

I share a desk with my sister since we are in the same room. My sister always scold me because i didn't clean up the mess after i use the desk because it make her hard to do her work. When i found this tips on how to tidy desk, i try to practice that. Surprisingly, she become calm and not angry as usual. Now i know, if the desk is clean, everyone will be happy.

Submitted by Muahahaha22227 on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 02:08

My study desk always change like my mood today... maybe it was at kitchen or at living room so i dont have exactly my desk study for me. my room just fullied by my books from primary school until now my room a bit little. But i will use this tips for cleanliness progress in my house because my house have so many thing unstructed. I will share this information to my friend was very lazy to tidy up his rooms like have more than one living in that room...

Submitted by Jisya on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 02:08

To be actually honest, I don't have any study desk . So basically I either study on my bed or in dining table at the kitchen. To comment about messy or tidy my deks is I think it's messy. I usually bring the needed book to my bed and do it there, after I finish I will arrange the book on the floor or in the box. I'm thinking about buying one of study desk, maybe in the future. This tips would be blessing for me to use it later when I have one. For now neither do I have a choice, I'll just keep studying on my bed yeah~

Submitted by 98genman on Tue, 09/29/2020 - 00:06

My parent always said to me "You need to clean your desk." I didn't understand that. "Why do I have to clean my desk everyday?" When I did my homework, I used lots of time everyday, because I had to find my pencils or books. I didn't know where it was. Making a tidy desk is very difficult, because I have to make time to tidy everyday. I think that is a kind of habit. Someone has a good habit, and the other person has a bad habit. I think I had lots of bad habit. .. So today also I am trying to change my bad habit.

Submitted by Danialhyr on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 05:34

I prefer to study in my room because I can study peacefully. With a quiet situation I can focus on my learning. I also clean my study desk but after a few day it becomes messy and I leave it alone because it makes my work easier to pick up thing what i need and i can put everywhere.I only clean my desk when my mom mad me.

In reply to by 98genman

Submitted by tariksis on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 05:45

At home i study with small desk and it very hard to keep my book and stationery because dont have nice place to keep it.This situation make all things being messy.Honestly i really want study at hostel because it has many benefits. For example i can study at large and tidy desk,and i can study beside farid who always teach and advice me to study.

In reply to by 98genman

Submitted by Ian_reynoso on Thu, 08/06/2020 - 17:53

I study in a quiet place, either in the kitchen or in my room and if I usually have everything tidy.

Submitted by Aldoazpeitia on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 16:11

At home I work in my room it is a little messy place but I like to work in my room, a few days ago I ordered it, when reading this I realized that such simple things can help you keep tidy, with such easy actions we can have tidy . The type of scanning all your files to have them is digital is something that helps a lot to avoid loss of important documents!

Submitted by Abril_hq27 on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 15:46

In my house I used to do my chores in my dining room, but as it caused problems at lunchtime because my dad decided to buy me a desk in my room, and from there it is much easier for me to study and perform tasks, because in my room there is no noise and I can pamper myself more, I try to keep it clean, without food or leaf remains.

Submitted by Chel on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 08:05

The place where I study or do my homework is in the dining room and if it is spacious, but I do not have a desk, when I do my homework there or I study if it is tidy or I try to have it as tidy as possible, although sometimes I lose order.

Submitted by Litzy22 on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 06:28

I study in my room at a table that I use as a desk, since you consider it to be a place where I can study and relax to carry out my educational activities. What I do to keep my table tidy is not to eat anything at the table, not to remove all the accessories from my school only what is necessary and to reduce the amount of garbage, whether it be paper or pencil waste.

Submitted by Santiago787887 on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 05:00

It is a cool and interesting read

Submitted by Led_4 on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 04:52

When I'm at home I study in my bedroom, I always try to keep it tidy. I keep my pens, colors, markers and pencils in a pencilcase. I have my computer in a safe place, My papers in a carpet and My notebooks in my schoolbag. I clean My place every day.

Submitted by reanom1 on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 04:30

Normally I study in my room, I have a small desk there, but I never have my desk tidy while I study, because it is very difficult for me. When I start studying, my desk is generally tidy, but it always ends up messy and with things I don't really need to study. So I will practice these tips, maybe my desk can be tidier and it is a good space to study.

Submitted by JuliSsa on Fri, 05/22/2020 - 02:25

To do homework I have a large desk in my room, which allows me to do my work. The first thing I do is organize my tasks and then go on doing them, I take out my pens and material that I occupy. At the end I keep my things or leave them organized for the next day.

Submitted by aaddaa on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 23:11

that's a good idea, I have a study in my room but I always have a mess on my desk because I have a lot of books, a lot of paper and I don't have a bin near my desk. It will be a good idea to apply these 7 steps to keep my desk clean and tidy!!

Submitted by Goku26 on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 23:06

In my house I study in different places, it can be from my table, even in my room, on a small table that I have. In particular, my area where I study is clean, since this makes the time I study better and also prevents an accident from happening.

Submitted by Diegomtz on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 22:40

I always try to study in my room where I have my desk with my laptop in my room no sound comes from outside, I have a habit of cleaning my room very well every week which also includes my desk but every time I have to do some homework or activity I always have my notebook, pens and my laptop at hand but when I finish working I put everything back in its proper place.

Submitted by Laksh on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 22:29

When I am at home, I study at a small desk in the living room, it is very tidy, but sometimes it has a lot of papers, that desk is mainly used by my mother, so when my mother is there, I do my homework at the desk in the dinning room. And when I am in Pachuca, I share a desk with my roommate, we clean it every Friday before returning to our city.

Submitted by NahynDamian on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 22:20

When i am at home, i prefer to use my desk of my room to study, i try to keep it clean, twice a week i clean it with some water and soap. I use to organize my homeworks in my cellphone, i scan it and save it in, that was the better way that i found it to keep it organized.

Submitted by TGA on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 21:27

I study in my room or in the dining room. In my room I have a desk and an area where I have all my things to work. My desk is always tidy and clean. In the dining room there is more disorder since my family puts a lot of things.

Submitted by shinynsivy on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 21:07

Well, I work at a simple desk in my room. I do all my homework there. It is a place that I always try to keep orderly. I have a basket with all my pens and I also have sheets of paper available to work properly. Every day I clean my workspace of unnecessary things and garbage that it may have. It is a very clean place because that reflects my mind.

Submitted by Rurru27 on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 10:17

i am very tidy

Submitted by Rurru27 on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 10:16

I study in my room
Profile picture for user teaspoon

Submitted by teaspoon on Fri, 04/17/2020 - 11:35

I try to keep my desk clean, but I have lots of papers on my desk.

Submitted by sunflower on Sat, 04/11/2020 - 18:07

When I'm at home, I do my homeworks in the study room, but my desk in a little messy, thanks for the recomendation, they are easy to practice
Profile picture for user Isa456

Submitted by Isa456 on Mon, 03/23/2020 - 00:56

When I am at home I use to do my homework at the desk room because i have all the books I need there and I also have my computer to help me in this task. I always try to maintain my workspace very tidy because I think that in order to do the homeworks more efficiently, I must have things at hand to avoid wasting time looking for them.

Submitted by Elife on Mon, 01/27/2020 - 01:02

I usually study on my desk in my room. I usually keep it tidy. I think it's very convenient for me.

Submitted by Makam on Sun, 01/26/2020 - 16:29

It's a little messy.

Submitted by ABC_01 on Wed, 11/27/2019 - 02:15

My desk is pretty messy. I tidy it up and put it back together, when I read these 7 tips, it helped me to improve my neat, because I also want to study well, so these 7 tips are really helpful.

Submitted by Khanhvy on Fri, 10/25/2019 - 13:21

My desk is usually messy because i'm very lazy to tidy it. I usually put a lot of things on my desk. It's so messy, so 7 tips that the paragraph introduced is very necessary for me. They are useful tips which anyone can remember. I will try my best to do 7 tips. Anyway, if i want to study well, i need to arrange everything and keep my desk tidy.

Submitted by phonguyen on Tue, 10/22/2019 - 13:56

I'm a pretty messy person so this is a useful solution to help my desk become cleaner .Your work will become more efficient if your desk is tidy, we should get into the neat habit now.

Submitted by Quocvu on Tue, 10/15/2019 - 03:25

Oh, i have own room and a desk. I use my desk for study therefore i always keep it tidy. I think it's very convenient for me to keep the desk tidyly

Submitted by UyenVo166 on Sun, 10/13/2019 - 16:55

I have a small table near my bed. That's where I usually study at home. Because it's small and my books and notebooks are quite a lot, I just put the necessary things on the table, and the rest I neatly arrange them under the table. So my study place is also quite neat and tidy.

Submitted by truongkimngan on Fri, 10/11/2019 - 13:02

my desk is small and I usually clean it after I finish studying. I like to decorate my desk with small accessories because they will make my desk look better. After reading 7 tips tidy your desk, I feel very happy because I had more tips to clean up my desk.

Submitted by truonghiep on Sun, 10/06/2019 - 14:54

I have a small study table in my room and that's my study space. Because I'm a rather messy person, my small desk is always too much because I have a lot of books, computers and lots of other miscellaneous things. But when I finished reading these 7 tips, I felt it was very helpful because it taught me how to organize my study desk neatly and set me a good habit. I think I should learn how to make the study corner tidy and clean because it can help my thinking and make learning more effective. Maybe I will buy a new desk bigger and have more compartments to study corner beautiful and tidy. And I will certainly do it. The 7 tips above are really helpful. Thank you very much !!

Submitted by Phuongduyen on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 13:13

I usually study on my desk in my room. My desk is not tidy. It has a lot of things on because I am a lazy girl. After reading the tips, I think I should keep my desk tidy. The tips is useful, keeping the desk tidy is good for our health. I will clean it at the end everyday. I promise !!!

Submitted by lkngan on Thu, 09/26/2019 - 14:10

I'm a pretty messy person so this is a useful solution to help my desk become cleaner. Your work will become more efficient if your desk is tidy, we should get into the neat habit now.

Submitted by Palmlover on Mon, 08/05/2019 - 13:37

In my room, and not mess

Submitted by sossos010101 on Mon, 07/22/2019 - 14:23

when at home, I study in my room, on my desk. it is not tidy
English courses near you