The computer desktop is an integral part of our workspace, much like its real-world counterpart. The state of a desktop not only affects work productivity, but also the psychology of its user. A clean, organized space with easy-to-reach and accessible elements in place is a good way to kick off a day of work. Here are some tips on how to do that.

1. How to easily reach frequently used programs

Rocketdock is a functional yet resource-light piece of software for you to arrange frequently-used items in an easily-reachable dock on any corner of your desktop. You can choose to launch any of these apps from a cool, sliding interface a-la Mac OS. The dock also makes it easy to recognize and pinpoint difficult icons.

2. How to post sticky notes on your desktop

Stickies is a simple tool that allows you to post nifty little notes on your desktop. They can be about anything – reminders, to-dos, motivational words and more. Just type in the text and it will remain on your desktop until it is removed – just like those good ol’ Post-it notes!

3. How to easily categorize your desktop icons

Creating color-coded images as wallpapers is easy even with Windows’ built-in Paint. Just split the wallpaper into a number of equal areas, and color them differently. When set as the wallpaper, just drag related icons into the color boxes, and these colors will act as categorizers – truly a fuss-free way to visually group desktop icons.

4. How to turn your desktop into a multi purpose tool

Google Desktop is a desktop utility that gives you access to news, weather, RSS feeds and other functions through its sidebar gadgets. Although similar to the Windows Vista Sidebar, Google’s has been redesigned for better security and blending onto the desktop.

5. How to minimize programs to the system tray

Tray-it is a powerful little tool that enables you to minimize any applications to the system tray instead of the taskbar. One good way to multitask with this tool is to minimize programs with less priority to the system tray, thus freeing up space in the taskbar for more important apps.

Do you organize your desktop?  Tell us in the comments!

This guest post was written by Chan Huey Hoong.  If you want to guest post for this blog, drop me a line!