The Impact of a Tidy Workspace on Your Mental Health

Is your year off to an unproductive start? Beyond a hectic work schedule, a decluttered and messy workstation could hamper your ability to focus and meet tight deadlines.

Even if you are buried under a ton of paperwork, an organised workstation is within your grasp. However, you can successfully tidy up and maintain a clean workspace, even if your input tray never empties.

Read on for practical, tidy office tips on how to desk declutter. Plus, we're sharing top office supplies to achieve a productive work life! Stay with us as we dive into how to attain a picture-perfect and tidy workspace.

The Impact Of a Messy Desk

What's the harm of having an untidy desk filled with old paperwork if you're a high-achieving, hard-working employee? Affecting your moods, your reputation and the professional lives of your desk neighbours, being messy at work is more impactful than you might think.

Here are a few reasons why you should aim to create a more productivity-enhancing workspace. Influences Your Mood

Arriving at the office to the remnants of yesterday's snacks and crumpled paper is a rough start to the day for anyone, even if you've grown accustomed to the mess.

Being constantly around mess can also be overwhelming, potentially affecting one's ability to complete tasks effectively. Need to finish a report for your boss but can't find the information you need amid the papers filling your desk? Conversely, a clutter-free and tidy workspace may have the reverse effect, putting you in a clear-headed and calm state for working, especially when knowing where everything is.

Damages Your Professional Image

Office pests might welcome your coffee cups stash and greasy takeout boxes. However, to your actual coworkers, it's a sight for sore eyes. Even if you're a top performer, others may name you the office slob.

In an open-plan office, a rubbish-strewn workstation can damage professional relationships. While you might not intend to spread your mess, failing to clean up after yourself isn't being very respectful of others.

And it's not only dynamics with your fellow employees that are strained. Messy traits can also hurt your career. Passed over for that latest promotion? Your lack of organisation might be misinterpreted as a sign of unprofessionalism.

Take the time to declutter regularly. It speaks volumes about your character and your treatment of shared space.

What Are the Benefits of a Tidy Workspace?

Cleaning may feel like a real chore, but there are several benefits to maintaining your desk regularly. You will experience positive changes in your professional life, work approach, output and job satisfaction with a polished and productive workspace.

Here are a few reasons to aim for a clean desk.

Fights Off Germs

If the past few years have taught us anything, it's the importance of hygienic practices, especially in shared office spaces where germs may spread like wildfire.

Here's an alarming fact for you to sit with. Office equipment is estimated to be 400 times more filthy than an actual toilet seat. Yip, you read that right: the workspace is a breeding ground for illness.

Instead of avoiding the office or resorting to working from the toilet (yuck), take control of your desk space with an overdue clean. Reduce germs by wiping down surfaces and removing old junk where bacteria may hide for a hygienic and tidy workspace.

Be More Efficient

Does your workstation resemble your browser history, with various tabs open?

Sure, having various documents and projects surrounding your desk might make it feel like you're a masterful multi-tasker in a fast-paced world. Still, a desk crammed with work can quickly lead to an information overload. Before you know it, you're anxious and burned out. Banish office clutter for good while still holding the title of multi-tasker pridefully. Start by clearing your desk and categorising your work piles based on their priority.

Find Stuff Easily

Not only is a productive workspace aesthetically pleasing, but it is also valuable for your productivity and peace of mind.

With every piece of stationery, document, and file accounted for, you can say goodbye to frantic paper hunts and hello to interruption-free productivity.

Steps To Achieving a Tidy Workspace

For big or small messes - manageable paper piles to mammoth-sized clutter, these easy hacks will help you turn your office den into a tidy workplace sanctuary.

Purge, Purge, Purge

Sure, decluttering may be challenging. Also time-intensive. But you can turn your paper-strewn desk into a well-managed and tidy workspace. One that sparks creativity and enhances your productivity.

To purge successfully, be honest about what is and isn't essential. You don't have to remove nostalgic memorabilia or keepsakes - hold onto those family photos. However, it might be time to bin your old restaurant menus. You're not going to use them. Ever.

It doesn't hurt to reframe your perspective, either. Instead of considering it a chore, see the experience as you take charge of banishing clutter. You might even feel empowered by it.

Be Mindful About What You Chuck Onto Your Desk

Do you often throw your keys or handbag onto your desk when you arrive at work? Non-related work things take away from valuable desk space.

Worried about losing things? Or does your workstation feel bogged down with personal belongings? Storing valuable items in a personal locker will keep them safe while solving the overcrowding issue.

Go Digital, For a Tidy Workspace

Going paperless means you can maintain a litter-free workstation and do your bit for the planet. Online storage systems like The Cloud let you store and access all the resources you need in one space.

Opt for digital calendars to diarise your appointments, rather than relying on notoriously unreliable and easy-to-lose sticky notes. 

If you need printed documents, why not scan them onto your computer and download them as PDFS? Doing this lets you say goodbye to stray bits of paper circulating your desk forever. 

Keep Your Cables Neatly Bundled Together

Having cables and cords haphazardly lying everywhere isn't merely a tangled distraction in your tidy workspace environment, but if you have pets around, it can be a dangerous choking hazard.

Tether them out of the way in a neat bundle, out of sight and out of mind.

The same goes for electronics that don't need to be on your desk, like your router with its continually blinking lights. These gadgets can be hidden if they serve no use on your desk.

Segment Your Desk 

Divide your desk into different zones for work. For example, work in separate areas for focus computerised work and creative brainstorming. Physically moving between these areas helps you switch between tasks.

Put Office Supplies Away And Toss Old Pens & Stationery

Removing items from your desk that aren't solely yours doesn't just eliminate visual clutter. Restoring them to their designated home also ensures that people have what they need to do their jobs.

Putting them back where they belong is a small gesture that shows you're a team player who doesn't hog the whiteboard markers.

Clear Your Computer Of Unnecessary Files

Your tidy workspace might appear spartan, but what does your PC's desktop look like?

Sifting through a digital mess of files and icons to find what you need can also be mentally draining. Save yourself the stress by planning regular computer cleanups

What Do I Need On My Desk to Perform Better?

Now that we've looked at all the non-essential items a workstation can do without, what office must-haves support productivity and elevate work lives?

If you work from home, you've probably tried and tested a few makeshift workstations experiencing varying degrees of success. You've probably reached similar conclusions on the below. 

• Ditch the bed:a bed or sofa offers plenty of comfort to its user, but it puts you in the wrong mental state to perform meaningful work. Why? Because our mind associates different environments with certain tasks. While you may already know it, your brain will register a bed for sleep and a couch or sofa for deep relaxation. Therefore, it's essential to carve out a dedicated workstation with a desk, chair and other office equipment that offer comfort without putting you into an overly relaxed state.

• Invest in ergonomic furniture: like your mattress, a chair that you're sitting on for approximately eight hours a day must be comfortable and back-supporting.

• Organise a desk lamp: to work at peak productivity at home or the office, you need decent lighting with adjustable brightness and warmth. Working in the dark or relying solely on fluorescent overhead lighting affects eyesight, lacks ambience and can zap your energy. 

Budget-friendly Hacks to Spruce Up Your Tidy Workspace

New ergonomic seating, lofty desks, nifty benefits, fancy gear and trendy decor might be out of reach for your home office or company's budget.

Using the following hacks, you can enjoy a full office makeover. Save yourself from back trouble and other health complaints by turning your sub-par desk space into a fully functional one.

But why stop there? Add a few personal touches also to enliven the space.

• Transform your regular chair: No ergonomic chairs? No problem! Upgrade dining room chairs with a seat cushion. Protect your spine and feel more comfortable in a seat that's not designed for prolonged use. 

• Switch it up: If you get bored sitting in one spot all day, use the different nooks and corners of the home or office (if it's allowed) for a change of scenery.

• Tune out the noise: If the hustle and bustle of home or office life gets too much, de-stress and improve your focus with noise-cancelling headphones.

• Go green: a full office space makeover isn't complete if you don't add greenery with low-maintenance plants. Beyond improving mental health, house plants may also assist with productivity, attentiveness and concentration. 

• Get your caffeine (or tea) fix: If you're a tea or coffee drinker, why not get a coffee maker or French press, a Bodum Teapot or a nice, long-lasting kettle to start every day with your favourite hot beverage?

• Make it your own: make your desk space an extension of you. Add (work-appropriate) personal touches, like photographs or art, that brighten your mood and give you daily inspiration.
  

Takeaway: From Being the Office Snob to Tidy Guru

Tidying up your desk and getting rid of garbage is more than about being an efficient worker; it's good for the mind and soul. You're also acting out of consideration for your desk neighbours, who won't appreciate your paper-clogged desk or heaped bin.

While it might seem daunting, we've listed tidy office tips on how to get started. Even if tidiness isn't a strong suit, you can become an organisational guru with a tidy workspace.

Finally, your desk is clean, but does it feel unsupportive or impersonal? Use our guide on what basics you need to create a fully functional workspace you love.

So what are you waiting for? Pave the way to having a productive workspace by clearing the clutter once and for all.