Paula Rodriguez
Setting up an effective and clean desk space is essential for optimal forex trading. With a fast-paced trading environment, you have to ensure that your workspace is highly conducive to focus and efficiency. Ultimately, the space you set up for yourself can influence your level of comfort, your ability to concentrate, and clarity in your mindset towards daily trading tasks.
To achieve a productive trading session, work on different ways you can promote a clean desk space.
Top 3 benefits of having a tidy trading space
Start your trading sessions with clean desk space. Your desk is the area where you can create a thriving trading career. To work effectively, traders need to maintain a focused state as well as an efficient work environment. For traders to properly examine data and execute strategies, their physical space has to promote calm and clarity.
Your desk space can reflect your current mindset and your level of focus. It can either enhance your productivity or be detrimental to achieving quality output.
Learn about the top benefits of tidying up your desk space and why you have to stay organized:
Promotes optimal productivity
One of the most valuable benefits of having a clean desk space is for optimal productivity. Keeping your workspace neat and organized can make way for better focus and encourage a more engaging trading session.
Having an unorganized trading space can be distracting and stressful. If you have a messy office space, this can hinder mental focus or limit your movement. By having an uncluttered and organized desk, you can minimize the chance of misplaced items and optimize your workflow.
Enhances mental clarity
Make decisions with a clear mind is key to finding success when trading. Through a well-organized trading station, you can allow the mind to fully focus on vital trading activities.
Visual clutter can affect a person’s mental stability. When you are constantly exposed to messiness, this could make you feel distracted or anxious. By having an excellent workspace, you can improve mental clarity and minimizes added stress.
Extends the life of your gadgets and desk accessories
Having a neat workspace does not only mean achieving good desk organization. It also means making sure all your tools are well-kept and taken care of. In the long run, making sure all your gadgets and desk accessories are clean can extend its lifespan and ensure optimal function.
Ways you can achieve a clean desk space for trading
Tidy up for the next day
Keeping things neat and organized is beneficial for continuous productivity. By preserving the neatness of your desk, you are ensuring that every day is a chance to achieve productivity.
Having your workspace looking polished daily can promote constant focus and a feeling of preparedness. After a session of trading, be sure to tidy up your workspace for the day ahead. On your next day of trading, you can come back to a desk that is usable and well-kept.
Go wireless
Going wireless is a great way to minimize visual clutter and improve your movement while working. You can consider going wireless for things like:
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Chargers
- Speakers
- Headphones
Going wireless can allow you to move more freely while also achieving a cleaner-looking space. Over time, this can optimize your overall workflow and boost productivity.
Better cable management
If you cannot go wireless, it is best to organize your wiring. By applying a system for better cable management, you can avoid tangles or knots that could cause your wires to break. This also lessens visual clutter and stress from seeing plenty of unorganized wiring.
Here are the two things you can start with:
First, you have to create a system for your wiring and properly arrange or position your plugs as strategically as possible. Think about how you can designate your cables and which devices should be plugged in a sequence.
Next, look for solutions to minimize the messy look of your wirings. You can use many items that are readily available. These include:
- Mountable powerstrips for underneath your desk or on the wall
- Cable management boxes or organizers to hide your surge protectors and plugs
- Cable sleeves to cover an exposed group of wirings
- Create holes or install desk grommets to route wirings through
- If needed, use wire clips or cable clamps to help position the wires on the wall
- Use cable ties to keep longer cables or groups of wires
- Hanging or desk-mounted cable trays or racks
Have cleaning tools on hand and ready
Tidying up also means sanitizing your desk and digital devices. To encourage daily or periodical cleaning, it is best tohave your cleaning tools ready.
The upkeep of your trading desk requires certain cleaning tools you can use like:
- Microfiber cloth
- Screen cleaning spray
- Screen cleaning brush
- Keyboard brush or dust vacuum
- Keyboard cleaning gels
- Cleaning wipes for lens or surfaces
Stick to simple storage solutions
There are many things you can use to keep your desk organized and easy to clean. The most important thing to remember is to make sure that your vital gadgets or desk items are accessible and within reach. You can place them on your desk to help optimize your productivity. These items should be close by and kept in containers.
You may use acrylic holders or even things you already have at home that can store what you need without looking too cluttered.
For things that you don’t use on a daily basis, you can remove them from your desk and store them in boxes in your office. You can also label these boxes so you can find them easily later on.
Look for things you can digitize
To encourage orderliness on your desk space, you can look for ways to digitize. Instead of having physical objects on your desk, you can find objects that you can move or transfer to your digital devices. This will help free up space and maximize your desk.
You can digitize things like:
- Calendar
- To-do list
- Notepad
- Calculator
- Journal
It is also important to remember that you can digitize what you can and see what feels right to you. If going digital on certain things can actually hinder your trading performance, you can stick to what you currently have.
Apply minimalism
The concept of minimalism is having only what you need and letting go of anything that no longer serves you. According to Joshua and Ryan from The Minimalists, minimalism is a tool that helps you get rid of excess things in life and encourages you to focus on what is most important.
When it comes to applying minimalism to your desk space, you can examine which gadgets or objects are most essential to your trades. This will help you clear out the items that cause clutter and only leave out what you need.
In the long run, this will create a mindset that only allows you to place essential items on your desk while lessening the chances of accumulating clutter.
Schedule times to clean and unclutter regularly
Being able to immediately work and maintain efficiency has much to do with the state of your workstation. Because of this, traders need to execute ways to optimize productivity by making sure to designate time to completely tidy up. By creating a schedule to clean out your desk, you can declutter your trading space and maintain organization and cleanliness.
Periodically cleaning your desk is vital to avoid disorganization or pile-ups. It can also help keep your desk sanitized and spotless. You can clean out any bacteria or dust to avoid any accumulation that may lead to allergies, obstructions, or breakages.
Some basic cleaning methods for your deskspace include:
- Wiping down surfaces.
- Cleaning out your junk tray or trash bins.
- Cleaning your monitors.
- Disinfecting areas or gadgets you constantly touch.
- Sort through drawers and shelves.
- Reorganize files or digital devices.
Inspire productivity through your workspace
“Making time to organize a thoughtful and smart trading setup can greatly improve levels of success. Once you’ve laid out an effective trading space, be sure to continue to manage and organize this space for a productive trading environment.” - How to set up a smart and productive trading environment at home
Achieve excellence and build productivity through a clean and well-organized trading space. With the risks involved when trading, forex traders have to make sure they set up an optimal trading environment that is conducive to analysis, concentration, and effectiveness. Your desk space has to encourage the mind to focus, stay alert, and feel energized to work on the daily activities.
As you build a more profitable and productive trading career, make sure you maintain a clean desk space. You can set up simple practices, apply systems and prepare the right tools to clean your workstation.