me and my girlfriend(s) have had big problems with desk and nightstand clutter. I came up with the idea of "rumpus bins", which is essentially just buying a $3 organizing bin and just throwing any desk clutter into it.
big day of doing math homework and now you have calculators, pens and books everywhere? scoop it into the rumpus bin, boom clean desk. dumped your pockets (phone, keys, knife, receipts) on your nightstand and now it's bedtime and want some cleanliness? throw it in the rumpus bin, now your nightstand is clean. just did some tinkering and now there's wires, usb sticks and screwdrivers everywhere? scoop it in the rumpus bin and fish it out later.
genuinely changed my life. there's never clutter on my desks anymore and i redistribute/sort everything in the bin where it belongs every week or whenever i get motivation to.