Decluttering: how it helps your productivity and state of mind

IT’S almost impossible not to have days wherein you feel like doing absolutely nothing other than rot in bed, filling your brain with TikToks, funny tweets, and little else.

Feeling like this can be extremely stressful, though, especially when you know that you’re wasting your time not doing anything. 

There are many factors as to why you might feel this sudden lack of motivation: burnout, depression, and in some cases, the lack of a clean and proper workspace. 

Though the latter part may seem ridiculous or unnecessary for some, you’d be surprised at how much a messy space can affect both your mental health and your productivity. ISpace Office Interiors said that these factors can often lead to stress, judgment, distractions, and even lower self-esteem.

The facts

Here’s the truth: whether it’s at the office, at home, or wherever else, a messy workplace is an unproductive one.

Based on a survey done by Brother UK, 31% of those asked stated that a messy workplace increased their levels of stress, while 49% noted that it affected how they felt about going to work every day. 

12% also admitted that they constantly worried that their officemates would judge them due to the clutter on their desks.

Not only this but messy desks are also looked at as bad for business; they give off the impression that you need better business practices, seeing as organization is a skill that many value.

“While you may be a fantastic worker and the clutter may not affect your work drastically, it’s hard to change someone’s first impression,” said MMT Furniture Designs.

“Keeping a tidy desk will inspire confidence from those who don’t know your work habits personally.”

It has also been proven that having an unorganized workplace can lead to feelings of stress, and possibly even anxiety and depression.

On the other hand, those with tidy, organized desks stated that they felt happier, as well as more productive and in control while working. 

Having a clean space helps to reduce stress and anxiety, as well as increase your concentration and productivity while working on your tasks for the day.

Tips on decluttering

While it’s easy to talk about how decluttering is a great boost to your productivity, there’s no denying that it’s hard to constantly keep your workspace clean. 

Admittedly, there are days when you simply don’t have the energy to organize the papers scattered on your desk or to throw away the copious amounts of bottles, cans and glasses that have accumulated. 

However, like anything else, it’s something you must work on constantly because you know deep down that doing so will be much better for you in the long run.

If you struggle with keeping your desk clean, here are some tips to help get you started.

Put away anything unnecessary

If you’ve heard of Marie Kondo, then you’re probably familiar with the KonMari Method, a manner of decluttering wherein you hold an item to your chest and keep it only if it sparks joy.

For your workplace, you might want to figure out what around you sparks productivity and what doesn’t. 

Do the unkempt papers on your desk make you less productive or more productive? Would arranging them and throwing away the ones you don’t need make you more productive?

Do you have any use for the empty energy drink cans on the side of your desk? Would it be better to throw them away so you can put stuff you need for work on the table instead? 

Go through your desk little by little and get rid of anything that you know may be a hindrance to your workflow; it’s better to do it now than to get irritated by every little thing when you finally do start working because then you’re just not going to get any work done at all.

Try to avoid eating on your table

If you’re at home, then it’s better to set a space for eating that’s different from where you work. If you’re in the office, then try to eat in the lunchroom instead of on your table. 

Eating on your desk may leave things like crumbs left over by the time you finish. It may also attract unwanted pests like ants in the future, which is a huge hassle and an embarrassing secret to hide from your co-workers. 

If you’re the type of person who can’t focus without a snack or a drink by your side, set a designated area for it on your table, and try your best to limit yourself to ones that will leave as little a mess as possible.

Follow a daily cleaning schedule

If you’re not in the mood to clean your desk at the start of each day, you can instead scatter small moments of cleaning into your day, following a cleaning schedule to ensure that the mess doesn’t get too bad by the time you finish working. 

You can also try practicing CLAYGO, or Clean As You Go which, according to Paul Schokker of In-Tec Commercial Cleaning, helps to turn big tasks into smaller ones moving forward.

While CLAYGO pretty much speaks for itself, it means that you clean up your clutter as soon as you can. Or if you’d like, you can set a time to clean up all your mess so that you don’t feel pressured, for example, to have to wash the dishes as soon as you finish eating. 

Setting a schedule may help lessen the anxiety you might feel when it comes to cleaning… that constant feeling of “Oh my gosh, it never ends.” 

What you do and how you go about it is up to you. Just don’t leave everything to the last minute because that might just lead you to procrastinate until it gets just as bad as it was in the beginning.