The desk reset at the end of a task

Leave yourself a clear place to begin next time.

Save the useful state

Save your work and record anything that remains unfinished. Avoid relying on a collection of open windows as your only reminder.

Put the references together

Keep relevant material near the work it supports. Close the items that no longer belong to the task.

Write the first next step

A brief note can make returning easier than reconstructing the whole problem from memory.