I recently cleared my desk down to the wood and allowed things back only if they could justify themselves. It took a month, and the results were humbling.
What came back
A speckled ceramic cup made by a friend in Caldas da Rainha. Three art books I open when a sentence feels stuck. A candle, lit only when I am drafting, as a signal to my own brain.
Every object on a desk is either a tool or a distraction. Decide which.
What stayed away
The second monitor. The phone stand. Seven pens that all did the same job. The tidy desk is not a virtue in itself, but a desk where every object has a reason is a desk that helps you think.
